The study, based on responses from roughly 25,000 middle school students nationwide, showed that math scored 59.2 out of 100 in subject interest — the lowest among major courses. Students’ interest in math declined steadily with each grade level, falling from 61.0 in first grade to 57.8 by third grade. About 43 percent of families reported monthly math tutoring costs exceeding 300,000 won, while most others spent at least 200,000 won. Parents cited remedial learning and advanced or preemptive study as the main reasons, with few viewing math tutoring as enrichment or personal development. The findings echo recent surveys by civic education groups showing that roughly one in three middle school students — and four in ten high school students — say they want to give up studying math altogether.