Driving schools close as younger Koreans gravitate toward public transport, other mobility options
Published: 07 Apr. 2026, 07:00
![Sindorim Driving School in Guro District, western Seoul, lies vacant on April 1. [LEE AH-MI]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/07/becf6331-d89e-4079-8317-ee00cf8fb79f.jpg)
Sindorim Driving School in Guro District, western Seoul, lies vacant on April 1. [LEE AH-MI]
After finishing the college entrance exam, Korean students have long marked the transition to adulthood by getting a driver’s license. That tradition is now fading as driving schools close and demand declines, with one of the biggest driver's ed schools in Seoul closing its doors on March 27 after 26 years of business.
The shift reflects a broader change in how younger generations in Korea view driving. Once considered essential, licenses are becoming less necessary amid improved public transportation, rising costs and the spread of alternative mobility options, contributing to the steady decline of driving schools nationwide.
Last Wednesday, when the reporter visited the Sindorim Driving School, rainwater pooled across the driving test course at the now-shut driving school in Guro District, western Seoul. The 22,000-square-meter site (5.4 acres) and the grounds, once filled with cars and learners, were deserted. The school, which opened in September 2000 and trained between 6,000 and 10,000 students annually, closed its doors on March 27.
“Compared to the peak during the pandemic, the number of students has recently dropped by half,” said a staff member of 17 years. “Even if we wanted to relocate, it’s impossible to find a site of this size in Seoul, so all employees who had worked here for nearly 20 years were let go.”
A decline in enrollment was one factor behind the closure, but the end of the school’s lease with the Guro District Office also contributed to the decision.
“We notified the school that the site could no longer be used due to a planned underground reservoir project, but the school filed an administrative lawsuit in response,” a district official stated. “The court ruled in favor of the district in February, and eviction procedures are now underway.”
The number of driving schools has steadily declined, falling from 358 in 2021 to 337 last year, according to the Korean National Police Agency. The total dropped to 355 in 2022, 348 in 2023 and 344 in 2024.
![Sindorim Driving School in Guro District, western Seoul, lies vacant on April 1. [LEE AH-MI]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/07/10297553-e135-4442-8bd9-de11d4a3af67.jpg)
Sindorim Driving School in Guro District, western Seoul, lies vacant on April 1. [LEE AH-MI]
The drop reflects a broader shift. Once seen as a rite of passage after college entrance exams, driver’s licenses are no longer considered essential among younger people. The number of license holders aged 18 to 20 declined about 34 percent — from 637,122 in 2021 to 420,716 in 2025.
Several factors are driving the trend, including reduced demand among younger generations, a declining youth population and the spread of personal mobility devices such as e-scooters and indoor driving schools that use digital simulation tools to prepare students for the road test.
“I don’t feel the need to drive since public transportation is so convenient, and monthly passes like K-Pass and the Climate Card make it affordable,” a 27-year-old resident in Incheon stated.
The simplification of the driver’s license test in 2011 reduced mandatory training hours to about one-fifth, lowering the barrier to obtaining a license and weakening the need for driving schools, according to Kim Pil-soo, a professor at Daelim University.
“As a result, it has become difficult to find properly trained novice drivers," said Kim. "With fewer accessible driving schools, side effects such as illegal driving lessons arranged through social media are emerging."
![A personal mobility device is parked in front of a sign for Sindorim Driving School in Guro District, western Seoul, on April 1. [LEE AH-MI]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/07/dd592afb-67cb-4f93-ba7a-55f89b1a8e37.jpg)
A personal mobility device is parked in front of a sign for Sindorim Driving School in Guro District, western Seoul, on April 1. [LEE AH-MI]
Concerns are also growing that the decline of driving schools could reduce access to licenses in certain parts of the country.
After the closure of the once-leading Seongsan Driving School in 2019, many students in western Seoul moved to Sindorim. With that option now gone, access is expected to worsen.
“Accessibility is everything for driving schools,” said Park, 24, who obtained a license at the Sindorim Driving School in 2022. “People who haven’t gotten their licenses yet now have to travel as far as Gangseo District or Onsu Station [in western Seoul] to find a driving school.”
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.
LEE AH-MI [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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