Daechi-dong, South Korea’s top private education district, is the subject of a lot of attention; drama series are set there, and even content explores the neighborhood’s history of private education these days. What meaning does the term “Daechi-dong” have?
The Saturday drama “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon” on tvN (written and directed by Ahn Pan-seok and produced by Studio Dragon-JS Pictures) is the most current drama to feature Daechi-dong.
In “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon,” Wi Ha-jun plays Lee Joon-ho, who resigned from his position at a major corporation and returned to Daechi-dong. Jung Ryeo-won plays Seo Hye-Jin who should deal with the irony of doubting her own identity as a cram school teacher while discouraging a student who attempts to follow in her footsteps. The drama evokes excitement and empathy in viewers as it tells the narrative of the teacher and the student who, for unknown reasons, begin to stray from their vocation and go through emotional upheaval.
“Daechi-dong” serves as the backdrop for all the events leading up to their love affair outside of the teacher-student relations. It is where Joon-ho’s memories from his time as a student and Hye-jin’s from his time as a rookie instructor are kept. It is also where they rejoin as adults and experience new emotions as lovers.
The director of “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon,” Ahn Pan-seok, has chosen Daechi-dong as the background of his work. His previous drama “How Long I’ve Kissed (2012)” was also set in the neighborhood. The drama centers on Seo-rae (Kim Hee-ae), a housewife who relocates to Daechi-dong to support her son’s academic pursuits. In this work, Daechi-dong was described as a haven for parents who believe that their children’s futures are more important than their own.
Like the above-mentioned drama, “Crash Course in Romance,” took place in Daechi-dong. The main character, math teacher Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho), took inspiration from celebrity tutor Hyun Woo-jin, who boasts the largest number of pupils in Daechi-dong and online.
Meanwhile, YouTube videos that feature or mention Daechi-dong have also sparked hot responses.
Group Jang Won-young of K-pop girl group IVE stated that Daechi-dong was the source of his English proficiency. When questioned, “How do you speak English so well?” during her May 5 appearance on the YouTube channel Psick University, she replied, “I have no experience living in a foreign country.” My family and I used to travel to the United States at a younger age. I went to an English kindergarten as well,” she responded, drawing curiosity.
A video titled “We say what we have to say. [Umca (mother’s credit card) chance ep4. Daechi] How do you like honest Daechi moms?” was just uploaded to CJ OnStyle’s “Soldout Soon.” and posted a video. Model Lee Hyun-yi spoke with “Daechi moms” in the video, who are real-life residents of Daechi-dong, and they exchanged several anecdotes regarding practical private schooling.
In this sense, “Daechi-dong” is more than simply the name of a neighborhood; it also stands for a variety of desires that are expressed in South Korean culture and are influenced by private schooling. It may also be viewed as a term that conveys societal differences, either directly or indirectly, and is frequently debated in the media. From a media standpoint, it’s important to draw attention to the fact that the term “Daechi-dong” is being overused, which is contributing to the frenzy around excessive success myths and irrational expectations.
