Credit: Public domain.
According to August 10 survey by the Korean Educational Development Institute 한국교육개발원, the so-called “Three South of the River Districts 강남3구,” known for their wealth and expensive education, had the highest rate of high school dropouts in Seoul 서울. In Gangnam-gu 강남구 and Seocho-gu 서초구, 2.7% of all high school students quit school before graduation, while Songpa-gu 송파구 saw a dropout rate of 2.1%.
The high dropout rates reflect the fierce competition in the districts, as many students in the three districts fail to beat the curve. Saddled with relatively poor grades, some elect to quit school, take a GRE and apply to college based only on the College Scholastic Aptitude Test 수학능력시험 only. Among this year’s new admits of South Korea’s top three colleges - Seoul National University 국립서울대학교, Yonsei University 연세대학교 and Korea University 고려대학교 - 259 had a high school diploma through GRE, an increase of 37% compared to 2024.
