Fun Facts About Daily Life In Korean Schools
Don't Forget Teacher's Day! What Is A Meal Watch? Learn About Daily Life In Korean Schools!
The Chosun Ilbo
We have all seen how Korean dramas and movies portray school life. But is that really how Korean schools are like?
In this article, our Korean editor will tell us how the school years in South Korea are really like!
What is different and what is similar when comparing to schools in your country?
Most School Trips Lead To Seoul
![Illuminations and lighted-up trees in Everland, South Korea]()
Korean students usually go on school trips on three occasions. They go once in elementary school, once in middle school, and once in high school (usually in the sixth grade of elementary school, second grade of middle school, and second grade of high school).
The destination of the school trip will vary depending on where you live.
Students from the capital area of South Korea (Seoul and Gyeonggi Province) will usually go on school trips to Gyeongju or Jeju Island.
On the contrary, students from schools outside of the Seoul and Gyeonggi area are likely to travel to Seoul.
I grew up in Gyeongsang Province (the area around Busan and Ulsan) in the southeast of South Korea, and sure enough, all of my three school trips went to Seoul.
The itinerary was the same for all trips, and without failure, we always went to Seoul as well as the amusement park Everland, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
As in my case, it is almost an unwritten rule that students from outside the capital area will visit Seoul, and Seoul students will visit more rural areas for school trips.
However, with recent years’ increase of private middle and high schools, there are also more schools that choose to place their school trips abroad.
Surprise, Surprise! It's Teacher's Day!
![Students surprising their teacher on Teacher's Day in South Korea]()
Do you know what Koreans celebrate on May 15th? Teacher's Day!
No matter if you attend middle school, high school or even college, Teacher's Day is an important day and event.
Typically, the schools won't organize an event, but instead, the students themselves choose to decorate the classrooms or prepare something without the knowledge of the teacher.
Usually, middle and high school classes in South Korea will throw surprise parties for their teachers.
Until a few years ago, students often volunteered to collect about 5,000 won each to prepare some small gifts.
However, the Kim Young-ran Act which was passed in 2015 considers gifts of 30,000 won or more to public officials as an improper solicitation. As a result, presents these days usually consist of handwritten letters, carnations or other flowers, and crude cakes made by piling up cookies.
The Sleeping Transfer Student
![Transfer student prank in South Korea, school uniform is made to look like real student]()
"Teacher! We got a new transfer student!"
I can assure you that this is a joke that most Korean high school students must have tried at least once.
At first glance, it looks like a real person is sleeping on the desk!
But actually, the “transfer student” is just a training uniform or a school uniform that has been filled to the brim with other clothes. Then some final touches are added, such as a jacket, a blanket, shoes and socks.
The “transfer student” is then sat at a desk in a position where it looks like he or she is sleeping.
Once a teacher enters the classroom, the students will set up the joke by claiming, “Teacher, we got a new transfer student!”.
If fooled, the teacher will try to wake up the student, asking why they are napping on their very first day. The joke is a success if the teacher is surprised to see that the new student is actually a pile of clothes!
Post-Exam Lazy Days At School
![Students taking an exam in South Korea]()
Suneung (수능), also known as the College Scholastic Ability Test, is the Korean college entrance exam, held once a year in November.
After the exam, final year high school students have to attend school for another couple of months until they graduate in February the following year. So how do they spend their remaining days in school?
Once the Suneung test results have been announced, most students know what college that they will attend, and they don’t have to fret about any more exams.
That’s why final year high school students are seen going to school without their bags, and many just lie down on their desks to catch up on sleep. Or they watch movies on their tablets, read books, or enjoy other things that they haven’t been able to do because of studies.
Their teachers know the hardships that the students have been through preparing for the college entrance exam, so they often play movies or let students choose what to watch on YouTube.
hangyo.com
After taking the Suneung, my high school classmates and I put on a K-pop playlist using our teacher's laptop, and we just relaxed and had a good time in the classroom.
These few months between taking the Suneung test and graduating High School offer a chance for Korean students to just enjoy life without worrying about anything!
The Meal Watch
![Korean school lunch menu taped to a desk]()
The monthly school lunch menu! Korean students can get really creative with it.
While some students throw away the menu without thinking twice, others make sure to keep it somewhere close for reference, maybe by taping it to their desks or neatly putting it in a file.
Instagram tag #급식워치
The king of menu storage is the Meal Watch (급식워치)!
Carefully cutting and dividing the menu into the daily menus, students make a small booklet which they attach to a wristband to wear as a watch!
This Meal Watch shows us how important food is for some of us, as well as the adorable playfulness of middle and high school students.
Customized School Uniforms
![Korean school uniforms with different colors and patterns]()
Not only school trip destinations vary depending on what region you live in. Depending on where they are from, Korean students often customize their school uniforms in their own certain way.
Middle and high school students are often very conscious about how they look. So, what do they do when their mandatory school uniform is not to their liking?
Some students choose to modify their school uniforms. What’s interesting is that these trends can vary from school to school.
For example, the school uniform of a girls' high school in Incheon included straight skirts, and here it was fashionable to have them pleated.
On the contrary, school uniform skirts in my high school in Ulsan were pleated, and students in my school liked to cut their skirts short and straighten them!
Male students also like to modify their uniforms. Usually, they will reduce the leg width of their trousers.
I see many male students who modify their trousers to a straight or skinny fit, and these days some schools even make their uniforms with a straight fit to suit the students' tastes.
In the 2010s, when ankle-length skinny jeans were popular, quite a few students would cut their school uniform trousers to end just above their ankles.
That wraps up this article about daily school life in South Korea.
Did you identify any similarities between schools in Korea and your country?