In certain corners of Seoul — Daechi-dong, most famously — 10 PM isn’t winding down. It’s rush hour. Rows of yellow academy buses line the curb. Parents idle in their cars, phones in hand, waiting. Their kids are still inside, finishing what regulars simply call “The Mission.”
What exactly is the “Bull Method”?
There’s a math academy around here that everyone knows by its nickname: Hwangso — “The Bull.” The name fits. Its system is deceptively simple, almost brutal:
- A teacher gives a short explanation of the concept. Just enough to get you started.
- Then come the problems. Hard ones.
- You don’t leave until every single one is solved. Not most of them. All of them.
Get stuck? You stay. An hour. Two hours. Sometimes three or four. The clock is irrelevant. The problem isn’t.
So why do parents keep signing their kids up?
Honestly, most of us have conflicted feelings about it. Watching your 11-year-old drag themselves through the door at 10:30 PM, eyes red, backpack still on — it’s not easy. But in Korea, 5th grade carries a particular weight. It’s widely seen as the turning point for math. Miss the window for building deep, logical thinking now, and middle school becomes a slow-motion struggle to catch up.
What it’s actually been like for our family
My son is in 5th grade and has been doing this for a while now. Here’s what I’ve genuinely noticed:
The upside is real. He can sit with a hard problem for a long time without panicking or giving up. That kind of mental stamina — I don’t think you can teach it any other way. It has to be earned.
The downside is also real. Some nights he comes home hollowed out. The pressure in that room is palpable, and not every kid handles it the same way.
Is this the right path for every child? Honestly, no.
My son is stubborn in the best possible sense — he treats a hard problem like a personal challenge. This environment suits him. But my younger daughter is a completely different person, and I already know I’ll be looking at other options for her.
The question was never really “which academy is the best.” It’s “which system matches who your child already is.” Get that right, and the late nights might actually be worth something. Get it wrong, and you’re just making everyone miserable.
10:30 PM is brutal for an 11-year-old. Interesting read though.
Agreed. It’s a tough choice. But in Korea, the reality is that if you don’t keep up, you just get left behind.