Etoos, one of South Korea’s largest online college-entrance exam prep platforms, has publicly apologized after star geography instructor Lee Do stopped teaching just three weeks before the national exam — and then appeared at a Netflix press event instead.
According to NewsEn, Etoos posted the apology on its official website on November 9, under the title “A Message to Lee Do’s Students.” The statement followed days of mounting criticism from students preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which is scheduled for November 19.
On October 29, Lee Do told students in a notice issued under his own name that he could not finish the remaining lectures in his 2027 CSAT Korean and world geography curriculum. The reason given at the time was health. The timing stung: the announcement came about three weeks before the exam, at the most critical point in the study calendar.
Criticism intensified on November 5, when Lee Do attended the press conference for Netflix’s “The Devil’s Plan: Dead Again” and posted a promotional video on his personal YouTube channel — appearances that sat uneasily with the health reason given for halting his classes.
In its November 9 notice, Etoos said it had “caused great concern to Lee Do’s students at this important time ahead of the CSAT.” The company added: “We coordinated schedules with the instructor and supported filming so that lectures could continue normally, but the agreed schedule was ultimately not kept due to the instructor’s circumstances. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to your studies.”
Etoos also said it has made its student bulletin board — where criticism of Lee Do had been pouring in — private, and will answer lecture questions individually through its customer center and one-on-one inquiries.
Lee Do is also known beyond the classroom as a cast member of Netflix’s dating reality show “Better Late Than Single,” about adults who have never dated. That crossover sits at the heart of the backlash: students say the appearances undercut the health explanation, while the platform says it tried to keep the classes running.
The CSAT is South Korea’s once-a-year national university entrance exam, and star lecturers on platforms such as Etoos command large followings, making any disruption in the final weeks especially sensitive.
Etoos says it will now answer student questions individually. Whether Lee Do addresses his students directly remains to be seen.
