Many prep schools in South Korea are promoting expensive lecture courses to take place during the 10-day national holiday period that begins on Sept. 30, The Herald Business reported Thursday.

According to the report, the cram schools are planning to offer special classes in a bid to sign up as many students as possible during the extended holiday.

Tuition fees vary depending on the classes, but some schools charge more than 1 million won ($880) for seven-day courses.

A handful of private institutes are even offering a combination of classes and hotel reservations for those who live far from Seoul. One institute in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for instance, is marketing such a package at a price tag of 2 million won.

A high school senior surnamed Kim, living in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, said in an interview that he plans to take an essay lecture course and a test-prep course during the holiday period.

“It’s difficult to prepare the state college exam in rural areas, so I came all the way to Seoul to take special classes,” Kim said. “Many of my friends told me that they got good grades by attending such special lectures.”

Staff worker at a private institute in Nowon-gu, northeastern Seoul, said that cram schools could not take a holiday even during the Chuseok period due to the opposition of parents.

By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)