Buying a School Uniform in Korea

My husband’s nephew attended his elementary school graduation last February 11. Next month (or shall I say next week), he’ll be in middle school. He didn’t wear school uniforms from grades 1 to 6. Middle and high school students have to wear uniforms prescribed by the school. As a graduation gift for him, we decided to buy him a set for this coming school year.
A school uniform set for girls consists of a jacket, blouse, skirt, vest and tie. The boys’ set has a jacket, pants, Y-shirts, vest and tie. A set costs at least 159,000 won and the price depends on the school and the manufacturer of the uniform. I remember a friend telling me she spent 900,000 won for her son’s middle school uniform for a year!
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I’m not really sure how old my husband’s nephew. I’d lost track and I’m always confused with the Korean age system. I’m pretty sure he is an adolescent 😀 And he is growing. We’re pretty sure that he’ll outgrow his uniform and that he might have to wear new sets next year.
My husband’s niece, the eldest in her generation, will enter the third grade middle school class next week. When she was in her first grade, I was taller than her by two inches. When she was in her second grade, she grew by two-and-a-half inches. When I last saw her she is three inches taller than me! And she’s not even 16! Hopefully, she’ll continue to grow vertically and not horizontally. I remember trying a quick weight loss program after the summer vacation when I was in high school to fit in my school uniforms during my senior year.
Buying a school uniform in Korea could be a headache. My husband didn’t wear uniforms when he was in middle school. My son would be in middle school a decade from now and I don’t even want to think about the uniform costs by that time.