A camper van has appeared along the road in the cram school district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, drawing attention. Some say it is a choice to create a waiting space for children between academy classes, while others say it reflects a bitter reality where the private education craze and soaring real estate problems intersect.
On the 28th, an online community for parents in the Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa areas carried a post saying, "I saw the ultimate version of the Daechi ride. For weeks, someone has been driving a camper van and parking it all day along the road near Eunma Intersection." A photo in the post showed a large camper van parked in front of an academy building, but the post has since been deleted.
Some parents are said to be converting vehicles such as Starex into camper vans or lending camper vans to use as resting spaces for their children between academy classes during winter special lectures over the school break. The lack of suitable places to wait for long periods is said to be driving such choices.
One community user said, "You can rest inside and eat, so it seems they rent a camper van to use for Daechi academy commutes." Another user worried, "If there's a break in the middle, they let the child nap, and if enforcement shows up, they take a loop around. Soon Daechi-dong may be packed with camper vans."
Some parents also reacted, "This stretch is already congested, and all we can do is sigh," "Do they think paying a traffic penalty is the end of it?" and "We should report it to the Gangnam District Office or the Safety E-Report."
An instructor at a college entrance academy in Daechi-dong said, "Some students who do not live in Daechi-dong take only the classes and rest in their cars when they have time," adding, "There are times they have to pay parking and stopping fines, but since it is practically difficult and expensive to find a monthly rental room nearby, parents make this choice."
Experts note that with monthly rentals near academies during school breaks reaching several million won and listings scarce, the phenomenon of using vehicles as shelters even at the risk of parking and stopping fines is the result of overlapping private education fervor and real estate problems.