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<H1>Cram School Confidential: Korean Students Becoming World's Best</H1><CITE><FONT color=#666666>Posted Sep 05, 2008 09:00pm EDT by </FONT><A href="http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/author/Aaron-Task"><FONT color=#064cc0>Aaron Task</FONT></A><FONT color=#666666> in </FONT><A href="http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/Products-and-Trends"><FONT color=#064cc0>Products and Trends</FONT></A></CITE>
<DIV class=related>Related: <A href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=KEF"><FONT color=#064cc0>KEF</FONT></A>, <A href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=KF"><FONT color=#064cc0>KF</FONT></A>, <A href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=MAKOX"><FONT color=#064cc0>MAKOX</FONT></A>, <A href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=XKFDX"><FONT color=#064cc0>XKFDX</FONT></A></DIV></DIV>
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<P>I saw a lot of amazing things on my recent trip to Seoul, Korea. In addition to <A href="http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=9325002"><FONT color=#064cc0>interviewing President Lee</FONT></A> at the Blue House and <A href="http://www.tourdmz.com/english/main.php"><FONT color=#064cc0>touring the DMZ</FONT></A>, I also got to experience another culture.</P>
<P>One of the most incredible <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/world/asia/13cram.html?_r=1&ex=1219291200&en=b919890a5b2fb404&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin"><FONT color=#064cc0>phenomenons is hagwons</FONT></A>, or cram schools.</P>
<P>Hagwons are so successful in helping Korean students perform better on standardized tests, they've multiplied to become a booming cottage industry that rivals the nation's public school system.</P>
<P>"There are hagwons for everything," a Seoul-based mom told me. "There are hagwons for arranging hagwons, and hagwons to enhance appreciation for arts for kids, too, so anything goes here."</P>
<P>Unlike in America, though, where parents choose between paying for private school or using the public system, the majority of Korean kids attend <I>both</I>. The result: 12- to 14-hour days are typical for Korean schoolchildren. But there's a high price to pay for all this academic success, as you'll see in this accompanying video.</P>
<P>The segment is the first in a series of pieces on life in Korea. <I>Upcoming</I>:</P>
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<LI>Korea's PC game room craze: Why the trend is way beyond Xbox
<LI>Why Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world.
<LI>An interview with citizen journalism trailblazer Oh Yeon-Ho, also the founder of <A href="http://english.ohmynews.com/"><FONT color=#064cc0>OhmyNews</FONT></A>.</LI></UL></DIV></DIV>
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