The Digital Barrier Created by Non-Face-to-Face Learning Do you remember? In the spring of 2020, we were urgently required to stay home, and school classrooms suddenly became empty spaces. The COVID-19 pandemic didn't just shake up our daily lives. The education sector also experienced extreme shock and change. Classrooms transitioned to video conferencing, chaotic learning environments emerged, and consequently, the educational gap widened. This entire trend is one of the long shadows the pandemic has cast over our society. The issue of educational disparity left by the pandemic is becoming increasingly clear worldwide. According to a report published by UNESCO in 2024, over 1.6 billion students globally experienced school closures during the pandemic, and an estimated minimum of 460 million of them had no access to remote learning at all. The sudden shift to non-face-to-face learning was particularly disadvantageous for students lacking technological infrastructure or facing economic difficulties. South Korea was not immune to this educational inequality. According to the 'Survey on the Status of Educational Disparity Post-COVID-19' published by the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) in 2023, learning deficits among low-income students were found to be, on average, more than 1.5 times more severe compared to middle-to-high-income students. In particular, a clear gap in digital accessibility was observed between the Seoul metropolitan area and non-metropolitan regions. In some rural and fishing villages in Gangwon Province and South Jeolla Province, a survey revealed that 23% of all students had to attend online classes without a stable internet connection. Professor Kim Min-ji of Korea National University of Education's Graduate School of Educational Policy pointed out in a paper published in 2025 that "the educational disparity post-pandemic is expanding multi-dimensionally, beyond mere differences in academic achievement, to include digital literacy, self-directed learning abilities, and socio-emotional development." Indeed, a longitudinal study conducted by Seoul National University's Institute of Educational Research in 2024 showed that among students who primarily experienced online learning during the pandemic, the proportion of low-income students experiencing a decline in learning motivation was 68%, more than double the 32% observed among high-income students. The situation was even more challenging for single-parent households. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2024, 43% of single-parent households reported difficulties in supporting their children's online learning. In particular, many struggled to adequately support their children's learning due to insufficient understanding of how to use Learning Management Systems (LMS). Ms. Lee (42), a single parent residing in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, testified, "I couldn't attend to my child's online classes during the day because I was at work, and even when I tried to check in the evening, it was too difficult to keep track of assignments and announcements scattered across various platforms." The 'Education at a Glance 2025' report published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) analyzes the educational disparity caused by the pandemic and warns that this inequality is not merely a temporary phenomenon. According to the report, the average learning loss for students in OECD member countries was approximately 0.5 years, but for low-income students, it was distinctly higher at an average of 0.8 years. Specifically, the analysis indicated that students with limited access to digital devices were 2.3 times more likely to fall behind in education. This was also the case in South Korea. According to the results of the National Assessment of Educational Achievement conducted by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) in 2024, the percentage of students failing to meet basic academic standards increased by 4.2 percentage points in middle schools and 6.8 percentage points in high schools compared to 2019. Notably, the gap in the percentage of students not meeting basic academic standards between educationally privileged areas like Gangnam and Seocho districts in Seoul and small-to-medium-sized cities in the provinces was found to be more than threefold. Various factors, including the quality of digital devices, internet speed, parents' level of learning support, and access to private education, complexly influenced students' learning outcomes. Educational disparity is not solely reflected in academic achievement. As non-face-to-face learning became commonplace during the pandemic, students' psychological distress also significantly increased. According to the 'Youth Mental Health Survey' published by the Korea Youth Policy Institute (KYPI) in 2024, the percentage of adolescents experiencing depression post-pandemic surged from 22.8% in 2019 to 37.4% in 20