"That's an Outrageous Price... 'Mom, I Don't Want to Go Either': Parents Struggle with 600,000 Won School Field Trip Cost"

Three-Day, Two-Night School Trip to Gangneung Costs Over 600,000 Won
Parents Call the Price "Absurd"

As the cost of living remains high, the expenses for school field trips are rising, increasing the financial burden on parents.

Image Extracted by AI Depicting a School Field Trip

Recently, a post was uploaded on social media expressing concern, saying, "After seeing the cost of the school field trip, my child said they didn't want to go." Parent A, who has a child in the third year of middle school, said, "My child doesn't want to go on the school field trip because the cost is unreasonable," adding, "I heard that many of their friends also decided not to go. At first, I thought, 'They should try to go if possible,' but after seeing the price, I was honestly taken aback."

The notice released together shows that the field trip is scheduled for a three-day, two-night stay from May 27 to May 29. The destination will be Gangneung and other areas in Gangwon Province. The cost per student is 606,000 won, which includes 121,000 won for transportation, 150,000 won for accommodation and breakfast, 97,000 won for meals, 109,000 won for activities and admission fees, 78,000 won for safety personnel, and 51,000 won for other operational expenses.

Parent A commented, "The costs for accommodation and meals seem unreasonable," adding, "It's my child's first field trip, so I'm struggling with whether I should try harder to convince them to go."

There has been controversy online regarding the cost of school field trips. Some people have commented, "It is expensive, but with inflation, it seems inevitable," and, "Unlike before, there are fewer children now, so the per-person cost seems to have increased." On the other hand, some argue that the expenses for the field trip are excessive. One user pointed out, "Is it right for it to cost that much even for a group trip? Even if you went alone or with your family on a weekday, it would probably cost about the same."

This is not the first time that school field trip costs have sparked debate. In some schools, the cost per person already exceeds 1 million won, and in the case of overseas field trips for special-purpose high schools, it can even surpass 4 million won.

The rise in school field trip expenses is seen as a result of several factors: the increasing financial burden due to inflation, the growing demand for overseas experiences, and higher levels of consumption. It is known that even domestic field trips, such as a three-day, two-night trip to Jeju Island, now cost between 600,000 and 700,000 won per person. When additional expenses such as pocket money and personal supplies are taken into account, the burden on parents becomes even greater. In response, some local governments—including Geumcheon-gu in Seoul, Danyang in North Chungcheong Province, and South Gyeongsang Province—are providing financial support for school field trip expenses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.