In South Korea, education functions as a powerful mechanism for social mobility, with academic capital from prestigious universities acting as a decisive determinant of career trajectories and earnings. This dynamic has fostered intense educational fervor and the development of a large market for private tutoring, often referred to as shadow education. Compounded by a narrowing path to success, private tutoring has transformed from an optional supplement into a perceived necessity, deepening educational inequality and generating social tension.

This study empirically analyzes the causal pathway through which an excessively competitive environment induces parental competitive pressure, defined as expectations for success and anxiety, and how this pressure, in turn, leads to increased investment in private tutoring. The analysis ultimately explores the structural roots of this dependence.

A historical review reveals that regulatory measures on private tutoring in Korea have shifted since the 1960s from stringent regulation to liberalization and then to management and supplementation within the public education system. Nevertheless, a severely constrained opportunity structure, marked by restricted access to quality employment and top-tier universities, continues to fuel parental anxiety and competitiveness, compelling substantial spending on supplementary education.

The analysis confirms that investment in private tutoring rises significantly as competitive pressure on parents increases. Notably, this increase occurs primarily through higher spending rather than additional hours. This pattern suggests that, given children's time constraints, highly pressured parents strategically prioritize quality over quantity in private tutoring. Furthermore, the impact of parental competitive pressure on investment varies across family backgrounds, indicating that dependence on private tutoring reflects an interplay between socio-structural factors (competitive pressure) and household resources (income and education levels), which reproduces educational inequality across generations.

In conclusion, dependence on private tutoring is not simply the result of shortcomings in the education system but a structural phenomenon amplified by status competition within a success-oriented society. Since these structural factors drive parental competitive pressure, piecemeal policy interventions, such as regulating private tutoring or reducing reliance on it, are unlikely to be effective. The path forward requires recognizing this dependence as a reflection of broader socioeconomic dynamics and shifting policy focus toward addressing the root causes of parental competitive pressure.

Abstract (ENG)

Preface
Summary (KOR)

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Literature Review
Section 1. Effects of Private Tutoring
Section 2. Theoretical Perspectives on Private Tutoring

Chapter 3. Changes in Private Tutoring Policies in South Korea

Chapter 4. Status and Assessment of Private Tutoring
Section 1. Current Status of Private Tutoring
Section 2. Academic Achievement
Section 3. Excessively Competitive Environment
Section 4. Summary

Chapter 5. Empirical Analysis
Section 1. Overview
Section 2. Data
Section 3. Descriptive Statistics
Section 4. Empirical Models and Results

Chapter 6. Analysis Results
Section 1. Main Findings
Section 2. Robustness Checks

Chapter 7. Conclusion
Section 1. Overall Conclusions
Section 2. Policy Implications

References
Appendix