Among household consumption expenditures last year, expenses for children's private education increased by nearly 20 percent year-on-year, recording the highest since 2019. In addition to inflation, the demand for private education appears to have increased due to concerns about gaps in the education system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Statistics Korea, spending on children’s private education by married couples averaged 363,641 won ($280) per month, up 18.3 percent from 307,426 won in 2021.

The figure is the highest since 2019, when the target of the study was changed from “households except non-agriculture and non-fishery” to "every household including agriculture and fishery."

Even before the reform, expenditure of private education for elementary, middle and high school students stayed in the early 200,000 won range per month in 2017 and 2018, according to the agency.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, few students visited private institutions due to strict quarantine policies and high concerns over infection, Yonhap said quoting education experts. But as the pandemic eased, allowing face-to-face classes in both public and private schools, spending on children’s education seem to have increased, it added.

Other than inflation, the education community analyzed that the demand for private education by parents, who are concerned about the decline in academic ability and widening educational gap among the "COVID-19 generation" -- children who grew up with remote learning for the past several years -- has increased.