Educational Disruption and Student Well-Being: The Impact of COVID-19 on Hagwon Participation and Private Education in South Korea

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted educational systems worldwide, altering both access to learning and patterns of academic engagement. In South Korea, where private education through hagwons plays a central role in students’ academic lives, these disruptions may have had important implications for educational inequality and student well-being. This study asks: To what extend did the COVID-19 pandemic affect participation in hagwons, accessibility across different student grounds, and private education spending, and how did these changes compare to trends in the overall supply of hagwons? Using quantitative analysis of national-level data, this study compares pre-COVID (2007-2019) and post-COVID (2020-2025) trends. The findings show a substantial decline in hagwon participation and private education expenditures across all groups, alongside a continued increase in the number of hagwons. This divergence suggests that while demand decreased during the pandemic, the structural supply of private education remained strong. The results also indicate a temporary reduction in educational inequality, followed by a partial rebound, and suggest that decreased participation may reduce academic pressure and improve student well-being. These findings highlight both the resilience of the hagwon system and its evolving role in shaping student experiences.