Only One New Student: A Lonely School Entrance Ceremony in South Korea ๐ŸŽ’

A lone student at entrance ceremony in Korea

South Koreaโ€™s low birth rate (์ €์ถœ์‚ฐ) is causing an alarming decline in school-age population (ํ•™๋ น ์ธ๊ตฌ), leading to empty classrooms and school closures.


๐ŸŽ’ย ย A Lone Student at Gyodong Elementary

On March 4 2025, at Gyodong Elementary School (๊ต๋™์ดˆ๋“ฑํ•™๊ต) in Incheonโ€™s Ganghwa County, a 7-year-old girl entered first grade as the only new student. She arrived nervous and hesitant ๐Ÿ˜Ÿ but was soon greeted with warm cheers from older students. To celebrate, the school held a special ceremony with a welcome cake ๐ŸŽ‚, and her grandfatherโ€”a former student of the schoolโ€”stood 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 Incheonโ€™s 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.

Single freshman at elementary school entrance ceremony

๐Ÿซย Other Schools Face the Same Fate

The situation at Deokjeok Elementary School (๋•์ ์ดˆ) in Ongjin County was no differentโ€”only one student enrolled in first grade. The schoolโ€™s entire students โ€”just 10 childrenโ€”gathered to welcome their new classmate with applause ๐Ÿ‘.

At Jungang Elementary School (๊ด‘์ฃผ์ค‘์•™์ดˆ) in Gwangju, the first-grade classroom was just as empty. To make the student feel less isolated, the principal personally gifted school supplies ๐ŸŽ, and the school arranged shared lessons with second graders to create a livelier learning environment.

The numbers tell a grim story:
๐Ÿ”ป Some schools that once had 5,000+ students now have just ONE new first grader
๐Ÿ”ป Six schools closed this year, four more than last year
๐Ÿ”ป In the past five years, nine schools in Gyeonggi Province shut down due to a lack of students

South Korea birth rate (by Statistics Korea)

๐Ÿ“‰ A Crisis with No Easy Fix

South Koreaโ€™s record-low birth rateย of 0.72 in 2023 is pushing rural schools to the brink. Even in Gyeonggi Provinceโ€”the countryโ€™s most populated regionโ€”some 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 nameโ€”with 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!

๐Ÿ“– ์‹ ์ž…์ƒ โ€“ New student (freshman)
๐Ÿ“– ์“ธ์“ธํ•œ ์ž…ํ•™์‹ โ€“ Lonely entrance ceremony
๐Ÿ“– ๋ถ๋น„๋˜ ์ดˆ๋“ฑ๊ต โ€“ Once-crowded elementary school
๐Ÿ“– ์ €์ถœ์‚ฐ โ€“ Low birth rate
๐Ÿ“– ํ•™๋ น ์ธ๊ตฌ โ€“ School-age population



๐Ÿ” SEO Keywords:

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  • ์‹ ์ž…์ƒ 1๋ช… ์ž…ํ•™์‹,ย 
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  • ์ €์ถœ์‚ฐ ์ดˆ๋“ฑํ•™๊ต,ย 
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  • Fertility rate South Korea

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