Photos show how South Korea's plummeting birth rate has left hundreds of abandoned and crumbling schools throughout the country

Cheryl TehJul 16, 2021, 15:52 IST

The Chung Il Girls School in Daejeon is now a hub for ghost-hunters and thrill seekers. It's also one of thousands of educational institutions that were forced to close their doors over the last three decades when they ran out of kids to teach.Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and it's resulted in hundreds of schools being abandoned.
These schools have been slowly emptying out over the past four decades.
Some provinces breathing new life into empty schools, repurposing them as galleries and community centers.

South Korea's fertility rate has been in free fall for years, and the country no longer has enough children to fill its schools.

South Korea is peppered with the sites of thousands of former schools, who have been forced to shutter after running out of students to fill a full batch. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

The Chung-Il Girls High School is one of the thousands of South Korean schools that have been left to rot.

People now journey to Chung-Il Girls School only to explore its abandoned grounds. The soccer fields are now overgrown with untrimmed grass, and the classrooms are empty and filled with broken furniture and cobwebs. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

An estimated 3,725 schools closed down across South Korea between 1982 and 2016.

The school, with its blown-out windows, has been abandoned since its last batch of students graduated in 2004. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

The death of South Korea's regional schools has been slow but steady. The country's fast-declining population means there just aren't enough students to fill their halls.

The school is now a crumbling husk of empty, graffiti-filled hallways and broken furniture. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

The death of South Korea's regional schools has been slow but steady. The country's fast-declining population means there just aren't enough students to fill their halls.

Residents of cities like Daejeon say the abandoned schools are eyesores on the landscape.

The high school is one of thousands of schools that were forced to shutter over the last three decades due to a lack of students. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

The problem of abandoned schools has hit rural areas especially hard. The families who choose to stay in their rural homes are now struggling to find schools for their children.

Lyoo Chan-hee, 10, and Lyoo Chae-hee, 7, visit Nokdo elementary school which was permanently closed in 2006, on Nokdo island in Boryeong, South Korea Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

The problem of abandoned schools has hit rural areas especially hard. The families who choose to stay in their rural homes are now struggling to find schools for their children.

Not all provinces are leaving their abandoned school buildings in decay and disrepair.

Lightmoon, a cafe and community center, opened in 2018 on the premises of the old Myeongwol Elementary School. Visit Jeju

Other provinces, like South Gyeongsang, have allowed tenants to turn abandoned school buildings into museums.

The Kil Hyun Art Center and Gallery is built on the grounds of the old Seongnam Elementary School, which closed in 1999. Kil Hyun Art Center

Another building in South Gyeongsang province has been converted into a community center where kids can go to summer camp.

The Gayasan-dokseodang Junglebook is now a library for students in the Hapcheon county, a small town in the South Gyeongsang province. Gayasan-dokseodang Junglebook

South Korea is not the only Asian country plagued by population issues.

Uchiyama Seichi and his wife moved into an abandoned house in the rural prefecture of Wakayama, Japan, which has a property vacancy rate of 18.8%. The family spent one year and one million yen (around $9,000) renovating their farmhouse, and run an organic farm, cafe, and guest house out of the property. Provided.

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Photos show how South Korea's plummeting birth rate has left hundreds of abandoned and crumbling schools throughout the country

South Korea's fertility rate has been in free fall for years, and the country no longer has enough children to fill its schools.

The Chung-Il Girls High School is one of the thousands of South Korean schools that have been left to rot.

An estimated 3,725 schools closed down across South Korea between 1982 and 2016.

The death of South Korea's regional schools has been slow but steady. The country's fast-declining population means there just aren't enough students to fill their halls.

Residents of cities like Daejeon say the abandoned schools are eyesores on the landscape.

The problem of abandoned schools has hit rural areas especially hard. The families who choose to stay in their rural homes are now struggling to find schools for their children.

Not all provinces are leaving their abandoned school buildings in decay and disrepair.

Other provinces, like South Gyeongsang, have allowed tenants to turn abandoned school buildings into museums.

Another building in South Gyeongsang province has been converted into a community center where kids can go to summer camp.

South Korea is not the only Asian country plagued by population issues.