Books are almost always separate from tuition. Budget 40,000 to 80,000 won per level.

What you typically buy:

- Main textbook: 25,000 to 35,000 won
- Workbook: 15,000 to 25,000 won
- Occasionally a supplementary listening or writing book: 10,000 to 20,000 won

Most schools use their own series — Sogang Korean, Yonsei Korean, Ewha Korean, Korea University's series — and each level has its own pair of books, so this is a per-term cost, not a one-off.

Buying used: yes, and it is common.

1. Classmates finishing the level above you. This is the main source and it costs whatever you agree, often half price or free.
2. School noticeboards and student group chats at the start and end of each term.
3. Danggeun Market and used bookshops near the campuses. Hyehwa and Sinchon have shops that stock these specifically.
4. The catch: buy the same edition. The series get revised and page numbers shift, which is genuinely annoying in class. Check the edition and the year against what your teacher lists.

One thing to know: the workbook is consumable — people write in it. A used workbook is often already filled in, which makes it useless. Most students buy the main textbook used and the workbook new. That splits the cost sensibly.

Also worth checking before you spend anything: a few schools include books in the tuition or hand out the first level's materials at orientation. Ask rather than assume, and wait until the first day if you are unsure — buying the wrong level's books before the placement test is a common small waste.