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A lone student at entrance ceremony in Korea |
South Koreaโs low birth rate (์ ์ถ์ฐ) is causing an alarming decline in school-age population (ํ๋ น ์ธ๊ตฌ), leading to empty classrooms and school closures.
๐ย ย A Lone Student at Gyodong Elementary
On March 4 2025, at Gyodong Elementary School (๊ต๋์ด๋ฑํ๊ต) in Incheonโs Ganghwa County, a 7-year-old girl entered first grade as the only new student. She arrived nervous and hesitant ๐ but was soon greeted with warm cheers from older students. To celebrate, the school held a special ceremony with a welcome cake ๐, and her grandfatherโa former student of the schoolโstood by her side.
Gyodong Elementary, founded in 1906, nearly shut down due to a severe drop in school-age children. The Rural Study Program, launched by Incheonโs education office, encouraged her family to move from the city to live with her grandfather on Gyodong Island. This program, which allows urban families to enroll children in countryside schools for up to two years, is one of the few lifelines keeping these institutions open.
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Single freshman at elementary school entrance ceremony |
๐ซย Other Schools Face the Same Fate
The situation at Deokjeok Elementary School (๋์ ์ด) in Ongjin County was no differentโonly one student enrolled in first grade. The schoolโs entire students โjust 10 childrenโgathered to welcome their new classmate with applause ๐.
At Jungang Elementary School (๊ด์ฃผ์ค์์ด) in Gwangju, the first-grade classroom was just as empty. To make the student feel less isolated, the principal personally gifted school supplies ๐, and the school arranged shared lessons with second graders to create a livelier learning environment.
The numbers tell a grim story:
๐ป Some schools that once had 5,000+ students now have just ONE new first grader
๐ป Six schools closed this year, four more than last year
๐ป In the past five years, nine schools in Gyeonggi Province shut down due to a lack of students
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South Korea birth rate (by Statistics Korea) |
๐ A Crisis with No Easy Fix
South Koreaโs record-low birth rateย of 0.72 in 2023 is pushing rural schools to the brink. Even in Gyeonggi Provinceโthe countryโs most populated regionโsome schools are shutting down as no new students enroll.
While the government is introducing relocation incentives and scholarship programs, the future of these schools remains uncertain. If the trend continues, South Korea may soon see an education system where many schools exist only in nameโwith no students left to teach.
Learn Korean Through Current Events: Key Vocabulary
If you're learning Korean, here are some useful words related to education and demographics!
๐ ์ ์
์ โ New student (freshman)
๐ ์ธ์ธํ ์
ํ์ โ Lonely entrance ceremony
๐ ๋ถ๋น๋ ์ด๋ฑ๊ต โ Once-crowded elementary school
๐ ์ ์ถ์ฐ โ Low birth rate
๐ ํ๋ น ์ธ๊ตฌ โ School-age population
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- ์ ์ ์ 1๋ช ์ ํ์,ย
- South Korea elementary schools closing,ย
- ์ ์ถ์ฐ ์ด๋ฑํ๊ต,ย
- Rural school enrollment Korea,ย
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