Actor Jung Ryeo-won plays the role of star Korean language instructor in the tvN melodrama series “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon." Courtesy of tvN
Korea's obsession with education is no secret. The eagerness of students and their parents for prestigious schools has triggered cutthroat competition for college admissions here. This, naturally, has led to the flourishing of private education with institutions such as "hagwon," or private educational academies, being incredibly sought after.
JTBC's series "Sky Castle" became a sensational hit in 2018, captivating the country with its close-up look into the lives of upper-class families striving to secure their children's academic success.
Since then, content depicting overeager "tiger parents" and the struggles of students have often been portrayed in series such as "The Penthouse: War in Life" (2020-21), "High Class" (2021) and "Green Mothers' Club" (2022).
However, when the tvN series "Crash Course in Romance" rolled out last year, offering another aspect of Korea's intense educational competition, the spotlight shifted toward hagwon instructors, stirring the curiosity of viewers about the life of those who are the pillars of the private education field.
The romantic comedy series follows a single mom (Jeon Do-yeon) falling in love with a celebrity math instructor (Jung Kyung-ho). Immensely popular, it combines a feel-good romane with a look into the competitive lives of instructors responsible for students' grades — key to their future success — and the coming-of-age stories of the students themselves.
A scene from the series "Sky Castle" (2018) / Courtesy of JTBC
Jung, who played a sensitive but dedicated celebrity instructor, shared that he had researched the real-life classes of hagwon instructors for two months to learn the unfamiliar world and help create his character.
Following the success of "Crash Course in Romance," more stories of hagwon instructors have emerged, including the drama film "The Daechi Scandal," which hit theaters in June, and the melodrama series "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon," which started airing in May.
Another series, "War of Daechi-dong's Number Ones" (tentative title), about top-tier, high-paid instructors' lives and their challenges headlined by Kim Ah-joong, is under development.
Pop culture critic Kim Sung-soo noted that such a shift is a mere reflection of the country's current society, backed by a surge in creative freedom with the rise of streaming services.
"Drama content, or popular cultural content, is like a mirror that shows us our reality. It reflects how much our society's perception of education has changed … In the past, private education was reserved for wealthy people, and it wasn't a time when everyone could widely have access to tutoring. But now, (it's different), so dramas have begun to reflect these generational changes," he told The Korea Times.
Jung Kyung-ho plays celebrity math instructor in the tvN series "Crash Course in Romance." Courtesy of tvN
"In some ways, back when terrestrial broadcasters still held a monopoly, they couldn't feature top instructors due to the absurd criticism that it might promote private education. But now, it's the (streaming) era."
He explained that particular stories, specific to Korean culture, trigger interest not only domestically but also on a global level.
"There is a peculiar boundary that Korean society has created, and I often say this boundary acts as a pathway that helps increase (foreigners') interest in Korean society. Hence, this characteristic is the DNA of Korean content," the critic said.
"Due to excessive competition, Korean society is currently structured to have private education play a significant role in helping individuals overcome each hurdle. This means a substantial portion of educational expenses are pushed onto individuals. And people around the world find this situation very intriguing, which makes them look at our society and serves as a differentiating factor of our content from theirs."
"The Midnight Romance in Hagwon" finished on Sunday with its highest viewership rating recorded at 6.6 percent. The series follows the romance between a star Korean language instructor (Jung Ryeo-won) and her former student and fellow instructor (Wi Ha-joon) while working together in the epicenter of private education: the Daechi neighborhood in Gangnam.
A scene from the series “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon" / Courtesy of tvN
The series' writer, Park Kyung-hwa, shared that she intended to shed light on the behind-the-scenes lives of the instructors who work around their students' school schedules to help them improve their academic outcomes.
"Most hagwon instructors can have their personal lives only after 10 p.m. They live on a completely different schedule from ordinary office workers. The poster of the series, showing a small stove lit up in a dark hagwon while only a few shops are open, suggests their way of life," she said.
"As the two characters pursue their love, they also question their identities as instructors and ponder the duties and roles of a teacher. I hope the paradox of seeking the path to good education in the heart of the private education hub is conveyed well."
Critic Kim noted the relatable portrayals of instructors, who are perceived as unique, have developed as a tool to stir up conversation regarding education in Korean society, something the nation has been struggling with.
"The lives of top instructors seem very special, yet they also encompass universal aspects of human life. This makes their lives both fascinating and relatable. So, they are excellent subjects for popular culture content," he said.
"What's interesting is that the ways of depicting these top instructors have become increasingly sophisticated, now directly addressing fundamental educational issues. In the past, these unique professionals were primarily used as intriguing plots. However, now they are actively used as a lens to explore and question societal issues."