27-02-2025
In Daechi-dong, cramming begins at age 4
South Koreans too young to hold a pencil compete to write essays to get into English preschools
In a brightly lit classroom in Seoul's Daechi-dong, four-year-old Tommy (a pseudonym) grips his pencil, his little hands trembling slightly, with his feet dangling as they don't yet touch the ground.
His mother, along with others, waits anxiously outside as her child completes a test. The test sometimes requires them to read an English text and answer comprehension and inference questions or to write a perfect five-paragraph essay within 15 minutes.
The stakes are high, and the pressure is real. This isn't just any preschool lesson. It's preparation for the "4-year-old exam," a term coined by ambitious parents in this affluent neighborhood, where even those yet to enter preschool have an academic agenda.
The neighborhood of Daechi-dong, located in Seoul's wealthy Gangnam-gu, is often referred to as South Korea's education capital. Known for its relentless academic culture and skyline dominated by private cram schools, the district has now extended its reach to children barely old enough to hold a pencil. Parents like Tommy's here aren't just preparing their kids for elementary school — they are preparing them for entrance exams to English kindergartens.
According to enthusiastic mothers The Korea Herald has talked to, parents in Daechi-dong view English kindergartens as the first step to securing their child's future academic success in Korea, where Korean is the official language and English is not widely spoken.
"These exclusive institutions immerse children in an English-speaking environment, with foreign teachers and a strict 'no-Korean' policy," said a mother of a 7-year-old who attends an English kindergarten. "Attending one is considered a golden ticket to fluency, ultimately, a head start in the race for elite schools."
Prekindergarten classes for 4-year-olds
To ensure their children perform well on these entrance exams, parents enroll them in academies that specialize in preparing 4-year-olds — not just for English comprehension, but for the test-taking process itself.
Learning to identify English letters and simple words, as well as respond to teachers in English, they learn classroom behavior, which makes them sit still without fidgeting.
'As the students are so young, first we start off with 30-minute-long class. Once babies get familiar with being apart from their parents, we usually have an hour long class,' one official from such an academy told The Korea Herald.
Strengthening their grip to hold a pencil properly and even ensuring they can use the bathroom independently are taught at such academies.
Parents spend hundreds of dollars on tutors or purchase exam guides that outline past test questions. Some even hire people to secure a coveted place in the physical line to enoll in these prestigious kindergartens before all places are filled.
While tuition alone is already upwards of 2 million won ($1,380) per month, many parents spend an additional 2 to 3 million won on private tutoring and extra academies just to help their children keep up with the demanding curriculum. These academies assist with homework assigned by the English kindergartens and ensure that students don't fall behind their peers.
Kim, 39, a mother who sends her daughter to one of Daechi-dong's most prestigious English kindergartens, says she even calls her daughter by her English name at home.
'I tend to call my daughter by her English name to make sure that using English is familiar to her,' she said. 'My daughter also refuses to speak Korean at home. So my husband and I try our best to cope with her and respond in English.'
Kim admits that despite her daughter's fluency in English, she struggles with basic Korean words like "butterfly" or "doll" — words that are typically among the first Korean children learn. However, she says it's more important to learn English.
For many parents in Daechi-dong, early English education isn't just about learning a language — it's about eliminating English as a future obstacle, according to academy officials. Once these children enter elementary school, they can focus on more advanced subjects, especially math, while the other kids are just starting to learn English.
Race to get ahead early
This intense early education race isn't limited to English. Parents in Daechi-dong believe that getting ahead early is the only way to succeed in Korea's hyper-competitive education system. A private academy counselor, 54, who herself raised children in Daechi-dong, explains that English is just one part of the equation.
'With math, there's an unspoken rule that a third grader must finish studying the curriculum for sixth graders so that they can start learning factoring,' she says. 'Some students even learn differential and integral calculus in fifth grade — things they wouldn't typically see until high school.'
This mentality of "studying years ahead" has been deeply ingrained in Daechi-dong for decades. English, math and other subjects are all part of a grander strategy: getting into an elite university. Parents know that Korea's rigid education system rewards those who start early, and so they push their children into structured learning environments as soon as possible.
Mental health issues, a hidden cost
Not every parent in Daechi-dong embraces this race. A mother who moved to Gangnam a few years ago, initially resisted the trend. 'I just wanted my son to be happy,' she said. 'I didn't want to participate in this crazy competition.'
But that mindset came at a cost. As her son fell behind his peers, she felt mounting pressure to help him "at least do the basics." Now, she is reconsidering, wondering if resisting the system is even an option.
What concerns her more, however, is the rise in mental health issues among children. 'Tic disorders are so common among kids here now,' she said. 'In the past, these things were hushed and kept secret. But now, because so many kids go through this, moms publicly share recommendations for psychiatrists and psychotherapists the same way they share information about hagwon.'
Data from Rep. Jeon Jin-suk supports her observation. The number of children aged 7 to 12 diagnosed with depression or anxiety has doubled over the past five years, rising from 2,500 in 2018 to 5,589 in 2023. And where are these numbers the highest? Gangnam, Songpa and Seocho-gu — Seoul's education meccas.
The intense academic pressure in Daechi-dong is an open secret. Parents speak about children's mental health issues with the same casualness as they discuss test scores. Childhood stress, once dismissed as a minor concern, is now a well-documented crisis here.
Yet, many parents say they feel they have no other option.
"I've been in this neighborhood for over 20 years. As a mother and now someone who works in this industry, I know this for sure," said the private academy counselor.
"As long as academic success defines a child's future in Korea, the race will continue —starting with the 4-year-old exam and stretching through a child's entire education. Whether it's worth it is a question few dare to ask," she said.
