JIHAKSA PUBLISHING

What JIHAKSA PUBLISHING does

JIHAKSA PUBLISHING (지학사) is a privately held Korean educational publishing company founded in 1965, headquartered in Seoul's Mapo district, with a secondary logistics operation in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The company develops and publishes national-authorized (국정), certified (검정), and accredited (인정) textbooks for South Korean elementary, middle, and high schools across all subjects — including Korean, mathematics, English, social studies, ethics, history, science, music, art, physical education, and Chinese — covering the 2022 revised and 2015 revised national curricula. Its textbook franchise is complemented by the PungsanJa (풍산자) mathematics reference book series for middle and high school students, the 독서평설 Reading Review program for reading comprehension across grade levels, and two general publishing imprints: 북트리거 (Book Trigger) for adult readers and 아르볼 (Arbol) for children.

JIHAKSA operates the T-Solution (티솔루션) teaching support platform, which provides teachers with electronic textbooks, teaching materials, annual plans, AI digital education resources, and teacher-only reference book annexes and evaluation materials. Access to teacher-exclusive content on T-Solution and the teacher-only reference book portal is gated behind GPKI/EPKI government electronic certificate authentication and a dedicated teacher certification system. The platform is positioned as a digital extension of the company's textbook franchise rather than a standalone product, with no public APIs or developer-facing integrations disclosed.

The business model spans multiple revenue streams: one-time sales of textbooks and reference books to schools, individual teachers, and parents (primarily through Kyobo and Youngpoong bookstore chains and direct website orders), annual subscription revenue from 독서평설 Reading Review with recurring card-based billing via KG Inicis, and trade publishing revenue from the Book Trigger and Arbol imprints. Distribution combines direct website sales, regional branch offices (지사) across all 17 Korean metropolitan areas, and a logistics center in Paju. The customer base is institutionally fragmented — split between individual consumers (students and parents buying textbooks and reference books), certified teachers (using T-Solution and teacher-only resources), and bulk institutional buyers (schools) — providing some revenue diversification but tying revenue to the multi-year national curriculum cycle. The company is led by Representative Director Kwon Jun-gu (권준구) and remains privately held with no disclosed external investors or parent entity.

Name

JIHAKSA PUBLISHING

Legal name

(주)지학사

Website

https://jihak.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Short description

JIHAKSA PUBLISHING is a privately held Korean K-12 educational publishing company founded in 1965 that develops national-authorized textbooks, the PungsanJa math reference series, a reading comprehension subscription, and the T-Solution teacher platform with AI digital materials for schools, teachers, students, and parents across South Korea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGAAAA

Core Subject Textbooks (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/K–12 Curriculum & Textbooks

SECONDARYEDAGAAAJ

Digital/Blended K–12 Courseware & Interactive Textbooks

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/K–12 Curriculum & Textbooks

SECONDARYEDAGADAI

Summative & End-of-Course/Exit Exam Content (K–12)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Assessment, Testing & Exam Prep Publishing

Keywords

• Educational publishing
• K-12 textbooks
• Reference books
• Reading comprehension programs
• Teaching support platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul (서울)

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Textbook Sales: Sales of government-authorized (국정), certified (검정), and recognized (인정) textbooks for elementary, middle, and high schools.
2. Reference Books (참고서): Study materials for students including 풍산자 series and other supplementary educational content for all grade levels.
3. 독서평설 Subscription: Regular subscription service for the 독서평설 reading comprehension program, billed as recurring subscription.
4. 북트리거 & 아르볼 Publications: Publishing imprint books that provide fresh perspectives on life, relationships, and the world, targeting general readers and children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

JIHAKSA PUBLISHING (지학사) publishes and distributes national (국정), certified (검정), and accredited (인정) textbooks for elementary, middle, and high schools in South Korea, along with supplementary reference books (참고서) including the PungsanJa (풍산자) mathematics series. The company also operates the 독서평설 recurring subscription reading comprehension program, general and children's book imprints (Book Trigger / 북트리거 and Arbol / 아르볼), and the T-Solution (티솔루션) web-based teaching support platform that delivers electronic textbooks and AI digital educational materials to certified teachers.

Product overview

JIHAKSA PUBLISHING is a Korean educational publishing company established in 1965 that operates as a multi-product portfolio. The core offerings include 교과서 (textbooks) — national, approved, and accredited textbooks for K-12 education — and 참고서 (reference books) developed from textbook expertise for student learning. These are complemented by 독서평설 for reading comprehension, and two book imprints: 북트리거 and 아르볼 for general and children's books respectively. Additionally, 티솔루션 is a teacher-focused teaching support platform that provides electronic textbooks, teaching materials, and AI digital education resources. The company serves schools, individual learners, and teachers through both physical distribution (branch offices, major bookstores) and direct online sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 교과서: National, certified, and approved textbooks for elementary, middle, and high schools published by 지학사.
• 참고서
• 독서평설
• 북트리거
• 아르볼
• 티솔루션
• 풍산자

Products and services

• Textbooks (교과서) National (국정), certified (검정), and accredited (인정) textbooks published by JIHAKSA for elementary, middle, and high schools in South Korea, serving as the core textbooks of public education across all subjects.
• Reference Books (참고서) Supplementary study guidebooks and learning materials developed by JIHAKSA for elementary, middle, and high school students, including the PungsanJa (풍산자) mathematics series for common math, algebra, calculus, and probability & statistics.
• Reading Review (독서평설) Recurring-subscription reading comprehension program designed to strengthen reading ability and comprehension skills, offered in first-step, elementary, middle, and high school tiers with regular delivery and card billing via KG Inicis.
• Book Trigger (북트리거) A general readership book imprint publishing titles that offer fresh perspectives on oneself, objects, neighbors, and the world, with companion services for author manuscript submissions and lecture requests.
• Arbol (아르볼) A children's book imprint focused on nurturing seeds of imagination in children's hearts, allowing them to grow into trees, with companion services for author manuscript submissions and lecture requests.
• T-Solution (티솔루션) Web-based teaching support platform enabling certified Korean teachers to prepare lessons conveniently and deliver better learning experiences to students, offering access to electronic textbooks (전자책등/스마트 교과서), teaching materials, annual plans, and AI digital educational materials under GPKI/EPKI-based teacher authentication.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 교보문고 (Kyobo Bookstore)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor bookstore chain partnership for retail distribution of JIHAKSA textbooks and reference books. Kyobo Bookstore operates multiple branches in Seoul (광화문점, 강남점, 잠실점, 목동점, 영등포점, 합정점) where JIHAKSA products are sold.
• 영풍문고 (Youngpoong Bookstore)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor bookstore chain partnership for retail distribution. Youngpoong Bookstore operates multiple branches in Seoul (종로점, 코엑스점, 미아롯데점, 여의도점) where JIHAKSA educational materials are sold.
• (주)한진택배 (Hanjin Transportation)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThird-party logistics partner for shipping textbooks and materials to customers. Handles delivery of ordered educational materials including recipient name, phone, address, and order information.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visang Education: Major Korean K-12 educational publisher producing textbooks, reference books, and digital learning platforms (e.g., VISANG EDU, AI Tutor) for elementary through high school. Most directly comparable peer in product mix, target market, and digital pivot.
• Chunjae Education (천재교육): Korean K-12 textbook and educational material publisher with strong position in elementary and secondary school textbooks and workbooks, plus educational technology offerings. Direct overlap on subject coverage and channels.
• Daekyo (대교): Korean educational publisher best known for reference books, children's learning content (e.g., Tobot, Catch Teenieping), and educational platforms. Overlaps with JIHAKSA on reference-book and children's publishing categories.
• Mirae-N (미래엔): One of the largest Korean K-12 educational content groups covering textbooks, workbooks, and digital classroom platforms across all grade levels. Competes head-to-head with JIHAKSA for certified textbook adoption and reference-book share.
• Neungyule Education (능률교육): Korean educational publisher producing K-12 textbooks and reference books across subjects, with overlapping distribution through Korean bookstore chains. Direct competition in subject textbook and workbook categories.
• YBM (와이비엠): Korean K-12 publisher of textbooks, workbooks (시사 included), and English-language learning materials under the YBM and Samsung-branded lines. Competes for textbook authorization and reference-book share with JIHAKSA.

Broad incumbents

• EBS (한국교육방송공사): State-owned Korean educational media entity producing K-12 digital textbooks, broadcasts, and learning content integrated with national curriculum. Competes at the curriculum-content level and is increasingly a partner/competitive force in digital educational content.
• Pearson (English & K-12): Global educational publisher with established K-12, higher education, and assessment lines. Useful benchmark for the multi-product, multi-format (textbook/digital/assessment) publisher archetype that JIHAKSA is evolving toward via T-Solution.

Emerging players

• Dong-A Publishing (동아출판): Korean publisher with K-12 textbook and workbook offerings plus growing teacher/digital resources. Overlaps with JIHAKSA in elementary/middle school subject coverage and bookstore distribution.

Regional players

• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: US-headquartered K-12 educational publisher offering textbooks, digital platforms, and assessment tools. Provides a regional benchmark for how a curriculum-aligned textbook publisher monetizes digital transition, though serving the US market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jihaksa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JIHAKSA PUBLISHING