Students affected by closures will be guided back to public schools or registered institutions
South Korea’s Education Ministry said it would crack down on about 200 unapproved or unregistered education facilities, including international schools operating in a legal gray zone, as concerns grow over students being kept outside the formal public education system.
The ministry said Wednesday it had identified the facilities after running a reporting period and conducting on-site inspections from December to March.
The targets included institutions that collected high tuition without approval or registration, hired teachers without proper qualifications, offered questionable or substandard instruction, or abruptly shut down in ways that harmed students and parents.
The move comes as unapproved international schools have spread, particularly in the Seoul metropolitan area, often presenting themselves as alternatives for students seeking admission to foreign universities.
Many are registered as private academies, while some are not registered at all, according to the ministry.
But officials said academy registration does not allow an institution to operate like a school.
“Many unapproved international schools are known to be operating after registering as academies,” a ministry official said.
“But regardless of whether they are registered as academies, operating in the form of a school without authorization is a violation of the law and can be subject to criminal complaints.”
The ministry said facilities that qualify as alternative education institutions will be guided to register quickly through public notices and consulting support.
But institutions that operate like schools without authorization, including unapproved international schools, will be notified of legal violations and ordered to correct them.
If they fail to comply, the ministry and regional education offices plan to file complaints or request police investigations under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Officials said the exact number of facilities remains fluid because some refused inspections, some are in the process of registration and some may have already closed. The ministry also said not all of the roughly 200 institutions should be considered illegal, as the list includes normal academies and other facilities requiring further review.
The ministry plans to strengthen penalties for operators that ignore closure orders. It is considering introducing enforcement fines and a system to publicly disclose legal violations, as current law provides limited means to compel compliance once a closure order is issued.
The government also plans to pursue legal revisions to create a stronger basis for systematic inspections, management plans and reporting centers for unapproved or unregistered education facilities.
The ministry said it would expand support for students and parents affected by closures or those who decide to leave unapproved facilities after learning their status.
Students seeking to return to public education will be guided on how to transfer into regular elementary, middle and high schools, alternative schools or registered alternative education institutions.
For students returning to regular schools, education authorities said they will help them enroll in grade levels appropriate to their academic stage, in line with the enforcement decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and regional education office guidelines.
This story is based on a ChatGPT translation of a Yonhap News article and edited by Korea Herald staff. — Ed.
hnpark@heraldcorp.com
