‘Korean Parents Most Demanding over O’seas Education’

The Financial Times says more middle-class parents are sending their teenage children to English-speaking countries, mostly from Korea.

The London-based newspaper said today that officials from schools in countries such as the United States, Britain and New Zealand say Korean parents are the most demanding.

Michael Gary, head of admissions at the co-educational Phillips Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, one of the top U.S. private schools in Ivy League admissions, said Koreans are very serious about their education, with a mindset of “Exeter, Harvard or bust."

The report said annual expenses can rise as high as 20,000 pounds (about 40,000 U.S. dollars) for one student, but that education fervor is getting hotter.

redfoot@donga.com