The truth is, the summer camps you envision don’t exist in Korea. Here is a list of alternative places where kids can get language exposure and immersion when they visit.
Note: I initially wrote this guide a couple years ago because friends and acquaintances would always ask me about bringing kids to Korea over summer break to help them learn Korean. At that time, we were living overseas, and we made a point to visit Korea for a month in the summer to help with language retention. The original blog post disappeared with my hosting plan, but I had a draft saved in my Drive, so I’ve made some updates as needed to republish.
First, it’s important to establish that the traditional concept of summer camp doesn’t really exist in Korea, because summer break is too short to warrant one. The most intensive all-day camps for locals take place in January and February, which is the Korean equivalent of summer break—the long break before the academic year starts in March.
Summer break in Korea for kids in elementary and secondary schools usually starts in the last week of July and ends by mid- to late-August. (For reference, for my first-grader who attends a public elementary school in Gyeonggi, our 2022 summer break is July 27 to August 21.) For younger kids in preschool and kindergarten, however, summer break is usually just a week or two long. Given that schedule, the best way to give your child an immersive learning experience in Korea is by arranging short-term enrollment in a combination of various private schools, academies and group lessons in the summer months.
A note about this guide: This is by no means an exhaustive overview of what’s available to visitors. I’ve only lived in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province, so my experience is limited to that region. My kids are now in kindergarten and elementary school, so I have the most knowledge of the daycare, preschool, kindergarten and first-grade experience. I focus on private education and institutions, because it’s generally not easy for a short-term visitor to enroll in a government-operated daycare or kindergarten. (More on Korean daycares and kindergartens below).
Where to enroll your kids for to help them learn Korean during summer break
Common educational options while spending summer break in Korea, in order of increasing age, frequency, and intensity.
Seasonal terms and one-off classes for children
Culture Centers (문화센터, or munhwa center)
Ideal for: 6 months to toddlers, but offers classes for every age group, including adults.
Every big mart (Emart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart) or department store (Shinsegae, Lotte, Hyundai) usually house a large “Culture Center” (문화센터) dedicated for community learning. These classes are quite affordable, and thus, sell out quickly as soon as registration opens. Culture centers offer everything from baby-and-mom sensory classes, toddler ballet, coding for tweens, to ukulele for adults, and, my personal favorite and ajumma goal: “mom’s home haircuts.” 😂 Culture Centers offer one-off classes as well as regular classes that span the course of a term (under 3 months). Keep in mind that most classes for children run for under one hour, once or twice a week. While it’s an accessible and affordable supplementary course, it’s not enough to keep your kids occupied full-time.
Pros: Very affordable; a good option if you’re not interested in enrolling in an intensive program for an extended time; you can buy groceries while your kid learns? 🤷🏻♀️
Cons: Limited space for popular classes, especially because online registration is possible for those with local numbers
At-home classes based on centralized curriculum offered by educational companies
At-home classes (방문수업, or bangmun su-eop)
Ideal for: Children 1+ years who may not be comfortable in a new environment
I personally love Korea’s at-home bangmun culture—I’ve gotten everything from plants repotting to postpartum massages by calling a service that specializes in the convenience and comfort of offering a service at one’s home. At-home classes are quite popular in Korea because they are generally affordable, and reliable because it’s offered by a company that hires and trains contractors to visit homes for one-on-one or small group classes. The curriculum such as books, crafts, and projects, are centralized and consistent for all students. Academic subjects are usually most popular for the locals starting in Kindergarten, but for younger kids, I recommend at-home art and sensory classes. My daughter did this with neighborhood friends when she was 2 years old and she absolutely loved it because it usually involved her getting her feet wet—literally. Some of the memorable classes include dipping feet in paint and stomping around a big piece of paper on the floor, playing with (and eating) popped rice, and more. All I had to do was to provide the space; the teacher would handle the rest. The art teacher would visit our home every week with all the supplies for the art craft, cover the floor with a huge tarp, and do performance art with the kids for 30 minutes while the moms watched on with varying degrees of engagement.
Pros: Affordable if you are able to split the cost with someone else; flexible around your schedule
Cons: Class times are usually short; you have to be present for the class, especially if they’re younger
Private preschool for young children
Preschool (놀이학교, or nori hakgyo)
Ideal for: Children 2 to 6 years
Nori hakgyo are private preschools that are sanctioned by the Korean government, but not regulated or subsidized by them like daycares and kindergartens are. The biggest difference between a nori hakgyo and daycare is obviously the price, smaller class sizes, and that the former places emphasis on curriculum and learning, whereas the latter is designed to provide childcare (although many will argue that the curriculum in many daycares is comparable to that of a nori hakgyo at a fraction of the cost). I used to think that only the wealthy or celebrities sent their kids to nori hakgyo, but I’ve later found there are parents who choose to enroll their kids there because they prefer the small class sizes, the organic food, English lessons with native English speakers, or sometimes, simply because they don’t rank high enough on the waitlist for daycares or kindergartens (enrollment to daycare and public kindergarten or full-day kindergarten is prioritized for families with certain qualifications, like both parents working, or 3+ children, among others). Due to the long wait lists at the daycares and kindergartens in our neighborhood in Korea, this is the option we have chosen for our kids in the past when we visit Korea over summer break.
Pro: Short or no wait lists; more open to flexible arrangements and short-term enrollment.
Cons: Pricey (tuition ranges around 1 to 2 million won per month); English is often heavily emphasized, so you need to work harder to find one with the least amount of English hours like I did. Depending on location, you may also find nori hakgyo to have a disproportionate representative of privileged families.
Group lessons in private residences
“Study” Rooms (공부방, or gongbu bang)
Ideal for: kindergarteners up to high schoolers
Gongbu bang are smaller privately-run academies usually housed in residential units in residential buildings and intended for kids living in or nearby that complex. Some gongbu bang are just one room in someone’s private home. Others are entire apartment units that have been leased out by a business to serve as an educational facility. Both are usually geared toward younger elementary-aged kids, because older students are often bussed to bigger, more “serious” academies. Students and parents favor gongbu bang for their smaller class sizes, individualized attention and proximity to home. Whether it’s for Korean, math, or piano, be sure to check if the gongbu bang is registered with the Ministry of Education. Those that aren’t are technically illegal.
Pros: Affordable; accessible for younger children
Cons: May lack certain security or safety measures like emergency evacuation plans, security cameras, sprinkler systems, etc. of a commercial building
Group lessons in academies
Private extra-curricular academies (학원, hagwon)
Ideal for: Grade school and up
The Korean hagwon needs no introduction, and there is no lack of academies that specialize in subjects ranging from English to science to art. Just don’t sign up for 국어 (Korean classes for local kids) hagwon because it doesn’t cater to Korean learners. Look for “방학특강” (banghak teuk-gang, or special classes during break), which are usually two-week summer intensives designed for local students during their break in August.
Pros: Intensive; high frequency of classes (often daily), which also means deeper friendships forged among classmates; shuttle buses usually available.
Cons: Pricier than other options; high pressure and volume of homework
Private tutors (과외, gwa-wae)
This takes the most work, and is really hit or miss until you find the right teacher, but private tutoring for older children is also a useful option. Ask for referrals so that you don’t have to do the legwork to recruit, trial, and hire someone in a limited period. You can expect to pay 30,000 (play-based) to 50,000 (exam prep) won per hour for Korean tutoring, or you could possibly do it for free like I did. I used to meet with a highly-qualified Korean teacher during the day when she wasn’t busy preparing high school students for their college exams. To find my tutor, I posted on my local mom Naver cafe (online community) looking for someone to help me with business Korean and Chinese characters in return for teaching them English. I was flooded with responses, and many of the moms actually asked if I could tutor their kids instead for Korean lessons. Likewise, you could offer to tutor a Korean teacher’s kids in English, in exchange for having that Korean teacher tutor your kids in Korean.
A note on daycares, kindergartens and government subsidies:
A note on this section: This information may be outdated—but in a good way. There are more government incentives for children now than two years ago when I first wrote this due to the abysmal birth rate. Please check with you local/regional office for the most up-to-date info.
All daycares (어린이집, for ages 0~3, some up to 6) and public/private kindergartens (유치원, for ages 3 to 6) in Korea are government-regulated and subsidized. Foreigners can enroll their children in them, even without a Korean visa, but they cannot receive any subsidy. They’re not mentioned in this guide because it’s not easy for most short-term visitors to enroll children in daycares or kindergartens unless the institution has vacancy or you have a special relationship with them. I know of one person who recently visited Korea as a tourist and was able to send her child to a Korean daycare, and that daycare was operated by her parents’ church in a southern province in Korea. On the other hand, the Seoul suburb where my family lived was so popular with young families that some families who relocated there were unable to enroll their children anywhere for several months, despite both parents being employed full-time. That being said, if you are able to find space in a daycare that will accept your child for a month or two, by all means, enroll them! Lastly, don’t forget that a child with Korean citizenship is entitled to a child care subsidy through the age of six, and even if your primary residence is not in Korea, you can receive the subsidy if the child resides in Korea for more than 30 days.