Gyeonggi gov't plan to pay students 300,000 won to take tests draws ire from teachers' union
Published: 04 Sep. 2025, 10:24
![Test takers take the driving skills test at a test center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on Dec. 13, 2023. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/04/db346898-40c5-4b87-8e48-ceca71cdb996.jpg)
Test takers take the driving skills test at a test center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on Dec. 13, 2023. [NEWS1]
The Gyeonggi Office of Education is offering up to 300,000 won ($216) to high school seniors to take driver’s license exams, language tests and the Korean History Proficiency Test, drawing mixed reactions from students and teachers.
The initiative, launched this year, targets all high school students across Gyeonggi, with an allocated budget of 37.2 billion won, the education office said on Wednesday.
A preliminary survey of 122,333 eligible students showed that 72.4 percent expressed interest in participating, and among those, 82 percent selected driver’s licenses.
While many students have welcomed the program, teacher groups have voiced strong opposition.
The Gyeonggi Teachers’ Union (translated) held a press conference at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Wednesday and argued that the program duplicates existing support already available for young adults.
“It is inefficient to expand this benefit to high school seniors when there is already a budget for young people’s driver’s licenses,” the union said. “This is a hasty policy that only adds to the administrative burden of homeroom teachers, who are already overwhelmed with college entrance and job application support.”
In Korean schools, a homeroom teacher oversees a specific class, managing attendance, student guidance, parent communication and administrative tasks, while supporting academic or career planning — especially for high school seniors.
The union also raised concerns that the policy may be politically motivated ahead of next year’s local elections.
The Gyeonggi Office of Education denied the allegation.
“Driver’s licenses are the most commonly acquired certification among students after the college entrance exam, and demand is high,” the office said. “We offer support with paperwork to reduce the administrative burden on schools, and the program is unrelated to the elections.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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