Highest violations in Gangnam-Seocho, Haeundae, Seongnam under Private Teaching Institutes Act

Cases of private academies being caught charging tuition fees exceeding legal standards have surged by 38% over the past three years. Notably, high numbers of violations were detected in areas with large academies, including Seoul's Gangnam-Seocho, Busan's Haeundae, and Gyeonggi's Seongnam.

On the 12th, data obtained by the office of Rep. Ko Min-jung, Democratic Party of Korea, from 17 regional education offices nationwide revealed that a total of 469 cases of excessive tuition fee collection were detected from 2022 to 2024. The number of violations increased from 128 in 2022 to 164 in 2023 and 177 last year, marking a 38.3% rise over three years. As of the end of August this year, 129 cases have been detected.

Under Article 15, Paragraph 4 of the Private Teaching Institutes Act, academy operators, private tutors, and others are prohibited from collecting fees exceeding those registered or reported to the education superintendent. Violators face administrative orders such as suspension of teaching activities and fines of up to 3 million Korean won.

From 2022 to last year, regions with the highest number of violations were Gyeonggi (229 cases), Seoul (96 cases), Gwangju (32 cases), and Busan (30 cases). In Gyeonggi, Yongin, Seongnam, and Goyang education offices detected 41, 30, and 25 violations, respectively.

In Seoul, the Western Education Office, which oversees Mapo-gu, detected 29 cases, while the Gangnam-Seocho Education Office, responsible for Daechi-dong, found 21. In Incheon, the Eastern Education Office overseeing Songdo detected 9 cases, and in Busan, the Haeundae Education Office found 17. A total of 31 cases were also detected in Sejong.

In Seoul, under the "Seoul Metropolitan Government Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Private Tutoring," penalties are imposed based on the extent of overcharging: 10 penalty points for less than 30%, 20 points for 30% to under 50%, 40 points for 50% to under 100%, and 50 points for 100% or more. If an academy is caught overcharging by 50% to under 100% three times or 100% or more twice, its registration is revoked.

Education offices conduct inspections through regular checks, special audits, and civilian complaints. Each education office in Seoul inspects academies under its jurisdiction daily. In Jeollanam-do, 60 cases were detected through repeated complaints from professional informants, known as "hakparachi," who are active in academy districts.

Rep. Ko Min-jung stated, "Excessive tuition fee collection is a serious issue that increases financial burdens on parents amid rising private education costs." She added, "In large school districts with concentrated academies, continuous inspections by education offices are necessary to correct unethical practices by some institutions."

Private Academies' Overcharging Surges 38% in Three Years