EdTech Startups in Gyeonggi-do and the Online Education Service (GSEEK)

What's the future of education? Edtech gives you the answer. In line with the IT development, Edtech is getting more essential in this recent era.

South Korea was already a global leader in education technology (EdTech) even before the COVID-19 outbreak. EdTech startups have been operating in South Korea for decades, but now have come to the forefront. Many schools, universities, and private institutions in Korea have opted for online education during the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, there has been a huge surge in EdTech companies not just in South Korea but also around the world. EdTech companies are responsible for incorporating innovative technology with education to foster new forms of learning among students. Gyeonggi-do is leading the way in supporting EdTech startups as well as in the creation of its own online education service called GSEEK.

Students in Korea can now learn at home through virtual classes. In addition, there are e-learning platforms for any age. For those children who are not tech-savvy, parents and children collaborate during online sessions to achieve daily targets set by teachers. Students in Korea are now becoming more and more familiar with learning platforms for distance learning. The goal is to make online learning as immersive, enjoyable, and collaborative as offline classrooms. Early data shows that moving education online has made enrollment, record keeping, progress reports, and monitoring more efficient. There is very little paperwork involved as most tasks are done digitally. With the success of government-run online education services like GSEEK, more cities and counties in Korea are embracing these education technology solutions.

There are now many schools, universities, and private institutions in Korea that are partnering up with EdTech startups so that students in Korea can receive the highest quality education from the comfort of their own homes. Gyeonggi-do has created an accelerator program to support startups that are focusing on contactless solutions.

 

In the post-pandemic era, online education is getting more and more prominent
ⒸGyeonggi Province 

Gyeonggi-do’s Contactless EdTech Platform Startup

Money Today, Gyeonggi-do, and the Gyeonggi Contents Agency have introduced startups in Gyeonggi-do as part of the “Growth Startup Business Promotion Project”. This is a startup accelerator program through which startups not only receive essential funding but also mentoring from industry experts, as well as consulting for future investment opportunities. Many of these startups concentrate on contactless solutions. We will focus on three, starting with a contactless Edtech Platform startup called PoinBLACK.

PoinBLACK

Korean EdTech startup PoinBLACK is an online education solution that enables online lecture production, class management, and voucher sales through its online education solution called POINON. POINON has already attracted 40 teachers and recruited over 10,000 students. In addition, the startup launched PoinCampus, a platform that allows users to open an online campus easily. In this regard, PoinCampus helps with the organization of online lectures, curricula, and the filming and editing of videos. Therefore, anyone can easily operate an online campus through PoinBlack.

Brown Company (xCREW)

Brown Company is a Korean startup that has created a platform allowing people with common interests to meet online for video-based activities and offline for personalized tours. In addition, the platform recommends activities through their big data personalization solution. In terms of offline tours, they offer opportunities for outdoor activities such as camping, running, kayaking, and surfing in some of the hottest travel hotspots. These outdoor activities and tours are planned by experts. While many activities have been delayed due to COVID-19, members and sales have increased by 230% and 189%, respectively.

“This is why the focus on overseas travel due to the coronavirus has been driven by domestic travel and domestic activities. It seems that the interest in xCREW has increased because it provides a more personalized experience,” said Brown Company CEO Sang-Joon Kwak.

SCN

SCN is a Korean startup that focuses on the management of content creators through a single platform. SCN is an multi-channel network (MCN) that offers content planning and content creation solutions for creators. In addition, they plan and produce creator-oriented content while also engaging in creator management by focusing on the schedule and image of creators. They identify and respond to policies that are differentiated for each platform.

SCN has its own YouTube channel and helps produce YouTube channels for creators. Many of the channels created by SCN exceed YouTube ad revenue standards after 3 to 6 months. “Korea Live Music”, a YouTube channel produced by SCN, is a performance streaming service that has more than 1,000 subscribers and accrued over 4,000 hours of viewing time.

GSEEK - Education Service in Gyeonggi-do

Gyeonggi-do Knowledge (GSEEK) provides various learning opportunities through their free online learning service. GSEEK has over 1 million members and offers over 1,400 online courses in 8 fields. It has become popular among office workers, students, housewives, and senior citizens, among others. Once courses are completed, members receive certificates of completion and associated benefits. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of members has increased. In addition, GSEEK offers a mobile app through which members can easily access courses.

Gyeonggi-do provides free online educational contents on Gyeonggi-do Online Lifelong Learning Service Platform(GSEEK) to middle and high schools nationwide
ⒸGyeonggi Province

Middle and high schools in Korea are using GSEEK’s online courses. To date, over 610 schools and more than 220,000 students have used GSEEK, and the number continues to grow as demand for non-face-to-face education increases. GSEEK will soon implement real-time video lecture classes that are scheduled to open in April next year with plans to support instructors in the 31 cities and countries of the province in the provision of video lectures.

"The demand for the non-face-to-face conversion of group education, which started with COVID-19, is expected to continue to increase for the time being. From a long-term perspective, the digital transformation of lifelong education is indispensable, so I hope GSEEK will become a new standard for lifelong education in Korea beyond Gyeonggi Province,” said GSEEK Lifelong Education Director Yeon Je-chan.

The Future of Contactless Education in Korea

Hundreds of schools, universities, and private institutions have turned to online education since the coronavirus outbreak. It is now clear that online education is here to stay. This is why many provinces in South Korea, like Gyeonggi-do, will need to find their own solutions for their online education needs. Gyeonggi-do is presenting a blueprint for what it takes to make that possible. Fostering innovative EdTech startups is only half of the solution. Local governments themselves will need to develop their own free online systems, like GSEEK, that offer education to those seeking private education. The faster this transition occurs, the quicker South Korea will be able to recover from this pandemic.