New Gangnam style: students dominate admission for top college

High school students from the affluent Gangnam area in Seoul are strengthening their dominance on the admission roster for Korea’s top university, a lawmaker’s report showed on Wednesday.

In a report by Rep. Yoo Ki-hong of the main opposition Democratic Party, seven out of 10 high school graduates from Seoul that were accepted to the prestigious Seoul National University came from the three Gangnam districts: Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu.

Out of the total 187 Seoul-based students who made it into the state-run university, 131 students live in the posh Gangnam area widely known for the residents’ zeal for providing top-quality education to their kids.

The district is also a favorite residential area for the country’s wealthy and powerful including lawmakers, top executives, professors and doctors.

Notably, the ratio of Gangnam-based students among successful applicants for SNU climbed to 70.1 percent this year, up from 57.7 percent in 2012 and 54.3 percent in 2011.

“A review is needed to overhaul school districts to prevent certain areas from dominating the admissions for SNU,” said Rep. Yoo Ki-hong.

By Im Woo-jung, Intern reporter
(iwj@heraldcorp.com)