A recent study appeared on Arirang News regarding rent and how it fluctuates in connection with university admission rates.

The study concentrated on three districts in Seoul: Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa. All three districts are located south of the Han River and are commonly known as the “Gangnam 3”, the areas in which people spend large amounts of money on their children’s education by sending them to hagwons, or academies, for tutoring. These districts are among the most affluent areas of Seoul.

According to the study, when the rate of students from the “Gangnam 3” districts who were admitted to Seoul National University rose by one percent at the end of 2011, the jeonsae rates (two-year lease contract rate) in the districts rose by nearly two million KRW, which is equivalent to about 1,800 USD.

Furthermore, even the rate of students moving into the area to attend middle schools increased as well. This means that more families are moving to the “Gangnam 3” districts to try and boost their children’s chances of getting into a prestigious university like SNU well before their children enter high school.

This may be because parents see that the Gangnam area offers more opportunities for their children to attend hagwons that prepare students for the suneung, the College Scholastic Ability Test.

A Songpa resident whose son was recently admitted to SNU, Lee Youn-mi, said, “Yes, it was definitely convenient that we had a number of institutes or hagwons close by. But I don’t think my son got into SNU only because we lived here.” Many residents like Lee are not so pleased about the recent newcomers into the Gangnam district.

Lee added that a change in one’s address does not guarantee an acceptance letter from the nation’s top universities. “Parents shouldn’t be moving to this area just because others do. Rather, students should prepare according to their choice of colleges and other districts in Seoul are well equipped with hagwons and strong educational environments too.”

Written by OH Jung Eun, SNU English Editor, josefinaoh@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com