Korean history instructor Choi Tae-sung recently revealed that his primary source of income is actually his textbooks!
On the May 13th episode of MBC’s variety show ‘Radio Star’ (episode 965), Seo Kyung-seok, Choi Tae-sung, Kim Sung-eun, and Hwang Min-ho appeared as guests.
Choi Tae-sung, who began his career as a high school teacher, shared his reason for leaving the profession. “My dream was to be a great teacher. I taught for 21 years starting in 1997, but when the Kim Young-ran Act (the Anti-Corruption and Bribery Act) was introduced in the fall of 2016, external activities for public officials became restricted. I had been working with EBS for 15 years, and when my principal suggested I stop, I had to make a choice. I decided I wanted to meet and help even more people, which is why I’m doing what I do now.”
He proudly mentioned, “You can take my lectures without paying a single cent.” He explained that when he first launched free Korean history lectures in 2017, it sent shockwaves through private academies. “It was an unprecedented move in the private education sector. Some famous history teachers at other academies even declared they would offer free lectures too, which is practically unheard of.” Kim Guk-jin expressed his surprise, noting that the very nature of private education is to charge for services.
When asked how he earns a living while providing free education, Choi explained, “My lectures focus on board writing rather than textbooks. I do this so students only need a notebook and a pen, removing any barriers to learning. I never intended to make money from textbooks, but students commented that recreating the board notes was too difficult and tedious. They begged me for a textbook, so I published one, and it sold incredibly well. The top textbook seller in Korea is a math teacher from a certain academy with about 900,000 copies sold, and I believe I’m second.”
Choi Tae-sung added with pride, “I didn’t plan for this. I’ve realized that choosing a path for the public good doesn’t mean you can’t make a living.”
