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BEIJING : Koreans are known to place a strong emphasis on education and many Korean students attend private lessons after school.
And they've also brought this ethic outside of Korea.
The Korean influence in a neighborhood in northeast Beijing is obvious. The residential area is home to over 70,000 South Koreans.
The community first began to gather there in the early 1990s beginning with some students and business people, but momentum soon picked up after that.
The influx has brought with it not just shops and services catering to the Korean community, but also a mushrooming of tuition agencies and private academies.
One academy teaches elementary English to children, and offers SAT and TOFEL classes to older students and adults.
"(We have) a lot of foreign teachers - American, British, German and Australian - and they provide a lot of opportunities to Korean students, so Korean students want to study in our academy," said Richard Lim, director, Tuition Agency.
One such student is eight-year-old Peter Ki who goes to an international school.
"I like English homework better Chinese is so hard. I just go to school, and come to do homework and study. But on Saturday and Sunday, I just play and have Chinese class," said Ki.
"It's a big change for him as Korea emphasizes a lot on grammar and is largely textbook-based. But here in China, the international school complements the extra tuition so this helps him to absorb fairly quickly," said parent Noh Young-hee.
Apart from private English lessons three times a week, Ki also receives tuition in mathematics and Chinese.
"They go to school generally every single day from 9 to 4 o'clock. And at the same time, the parents are paying private study... at a training school so that they learn more," said Jason Terry, an English teacher.
"It may seem stressful but some stress is good, and so far I think it's bearable. When the child grows up, he will understand that this is the most important period in his learning process. As a parent, this is a necessary stage for him and most learning requires some level of stress," said Noh.
China is one of the most popular destinations for Korean students hoping to benefit from a foreign education.
An estimated 40 per cent of foreign students in China - or at least 60,000 students - are Koreans.
Given its highly competitive education system, Koreans are increasingly obsessed with studying abroad, especially for those who can afford to do so.
Kim So Jin, a Korean student in China said: "I came here because of the competitive education system and private tuition in Korea. Chinese education is a bit more relaxing for foreign students."
"It's easier for foreign students to get into Chinese colleges than Chinese students," said Cho Ye In, also a Korean student in China.
According to Korean ministry of education figures, over 350,000 South Korea students went abroad in 2007.
Most of them were of university-age, but an increasing number of high school and even elementary students are also heading overseas. - CNA /ls
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