[비즈한국] While interest in civil service exams is rising again, Noryangjin in Seoul, once called the “mecca for civil service examinees,” has yet to regain its former vitality. Even if demand from examinees has partially recovered, the structure that supported the commercial district as a whole has already weakened due to the spread of online lectures and the collapse of the residential-learning environment.
Around 12 p.m. on the 14th, civil service examinees could be seen around the Noryangjin academy district in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, heading out for lunch. However, the scene was different from the past. While fast-food outlets like burger and sandwich shops were crowded, other restaurants had about half their seats empty even during lunchtime. Some shops had almost no customers, and "for lease" signs and academy rental notices were visible in many places.
A business owner running a restaurant in the alley behind the academy district said, "You can see the situation just by looking around. People say things have improved, but I don't really feel it.
The situation at cafes was similar. Aside from a few franchise stores, customers were sparse. One cafe staff member remarked, "I'm tempted to ask if there really are more exam prep students," while another owner said, "I haven't felt much recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems people don't stay in Noryangjin for long anymore because they mostly listen to online lectures."
The situation was not much different for the "Cup Rice Street," once a symbol of Noryangjin. Although there were lines of examinees during lunch hours, the atmosphere among merchants was cold. One vendor on Cup Rice Street said, "The only reason it looks like there are many customers today is because not many shops are open." In fact, only four shops were operating on the street that day.
Bookbinding shops and bookstores also said they haven't felt the increase in students. Mr. A, who has run a bookbinding shop for 40 years, said, "It has been difficult since the pandemic. I'm just sitting here because there are no customers." A nearby bookstore employee added, "Nowadays, most people study with tablets, so almost no one comes to buy books."
The business sector that felt a relative increase in sales that day was the Korean-style buffet. The restaurant was bustling with customers during lunchtime. Baek (26), a civil service examinee met at the scene, said, "I come here about three times a week because the price is less burdensome." A representative for the buffet said, "Compared to the hard times, I feel like the number of customers has increased about 1.5 times. However, it's hard to say that the increase is solely due to more examinees. It seems to be partly because a competing store nearby closed down."
In reality, the popularity of civil service exams is rebounding. According to the Ministry of Personnel Management, the average competition rate for the 2026 National Civil Service Grade 9 Open Competitive Exam was 28.6 to 1. This marks a rise for the second consecutive year, following 21.8 to 1 in 2024 and 24.3 to 1 in 2025. The number of exam applicants this year also reached approximately 100,000, a 3.4% increase from last year. The number of civil service positions, which had been declining for several years, also saw a slight increase to 5,351 this year.
Signs of recovering exam demand were also detected on the ground. A 27-year-old examinee, "B," said, "It does seem like there are more people at the academy than when I first started preparing."
The problem is that an increase in examinees does not lead to immediate commercial recovery. Even though examinees are visible on the streets, their presence has not translated into increased sales for the district as a whole. This is because, even if demand for studying has returned, consumption habits and stay patterns have changed.
In the past, Noryangjin was a representative residential exam village where academy attendance, self-study, dining, purchasing textbooks, and lodging all took place in one area. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, online lectures have become the norm, reducing demand for in-person classes and significantly lowering the need for examinees to stay in Noryangjin for long periods. While demand remains for students who visit temporarily for information sessions, counseling, or specific classes, the number of students who base their entire lives in the area has dropped significantly compared to the past.
The shrinking residential infrastructure for examinees has also created change. According to the Seoul Open Data Plaza, the number of gosiwons (budget housing) in Noryangjin 1 and 2-dong decreased from 44 in 2017 to 9 in 2023. In effect, the space available for examinees to stay long-term has significantly reduced. The contraction of the academy district, combined with weakened living infrastructure, has loosened the ties that supported the Noryangjin commercial district.
The current Noryangjin no longer functions as the residential exam village it once was. This is why, even though people have returned to parts of the academy district, that heat has not spread to the recovery of the commercial district as a whole. While the popularity of civil service exams has revived, it seems difficult for Noryangjin to return to the exam village of the past.