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families with children going to middle school or high school, school uniforms costing hundreds of thousands of won these days is a burden.

Local governments and education offices sometimes subsidize the cost of school uniforms, but there are still many places where money goes.



Reporter Lim Tae-woo covered this.



<Reporter> This



is a uniform set for freshmen from a middle school in Gyeonggi-do.



All in all, it came out to be about 420,000 won, but even with the free school uniform support benefit, you have to pay more than 200,000 won separately.



The free support only applies to formal school uniforms that are meant to be worn three or four times during the semester, but the daily wear and gym uniforms that students usually wear are excluded.



[Mr. A/Parent buying school uniforms: I've only bought one set, but I think I'll need two or three more because they're worn out and need to be washed often.

(If so) it would be more than 300,000 won, right?]



Hooded life clothes cost 60,000 won, and gym clothes cost 78,000 won. Compared to the high prices, the fabric and quality are not satisfactory.



[Mr. A/Parents buying school uniforms: I won’t buy it for 78,000 won.

I buy it at the sale price of another brand.

Likewise, I don't buy this for 60,000 won.] While the



cost of living is on the rise, additional spending on school uniforms that were thought to be free is a considerable burden.



[Mr. B/Parents buying school uniforms: I have friends who wear torn shoes.

It would be difficult for such friends if the extra cost for school uniforms came out like this, right?]



In most regions except Seoul, complaints are erupting as the scope of free support is limited to formal school uniforms.



There are many requests to support what is needed even by revising the regulations.



[Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Official: (School uniform support) To change to a voucher or cash, I think I need another public hearing or ordinance revision...

.]



As a lot of taxes have been invested, meticulous supplementation is needed to properly alleviate the burden on parents.



(Video editing: Park Ji-in, VJ: Shin So-young)