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Gov't tightens grip on excessive private education, English kindergartens

Published: 01 Apr. 2026, 19:25 Updated: 02 Apr. 2026, 14:11

A banner for an English kindergarten hangs in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on March 13, 2025. [YONHAP]

The government will tighten its regulations on Korea's so-called English kindergartens to limit hours of lessons and raise the reward for whistleblowers on illegal activities in an aim to curb excessive private education for toddlers.

The announcement comes as part of the Education Ministry's response plan for private education targeting infants and toddlers, announced on Wednesday. The policy targets an ever-growing market for private education among young students, where costly, competitive programs have raised concerns about developmental impacts and excessive early competition.

The ministry will revise the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons to fully ban drill-based instruction that is hyper-focused on memorization for children under 36 months, while limiting such education to three hours per day for children aged 36 months and older.

“Children under three are in a developmental stage where the brain areas responsible for survival and sensory processing grow through physical activity and sensory experiences,” an Education Ministry official said. “Excessive drill-based learning at this stage is harmful and can hinder development.”

Earlier this month, the National Assembly also passed a revision to the Act, banning level tests at English academies for young children. The revision will take effect in October. The ministry formed a task force last September to address excessive private education for young children, discussing measures to curb long hours of drill-based instruction and exaggerated advertising.

“The private education market for young children has expanded abnormally, as seen in the ‘age 4 and age 7 exam’ phenomenon,” said Kang Min-gyu, director general of early childhood policy at the ministry. The “age 4 and age 7 exam” refers to a phenomenon in Korea in which young children are prepared for competitive entrance exams to English-language kindergartens or selective elementary school programs.

“Excessive early competition and advanced learning are leading to developmental harm and even forms of child abuse, making countermeasures necessary," said Kang.

The ministry plans to impose penalties, including up to 50 percent of revenue and fines of up to 10 million won. Whistleblower rewards will increase from the current 100,000 won to 2 million won.

A child and a woman walk past a kindergarten in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on April 7, 2025. [YONHAP]

The number of English-language kindergartens nationwide rose from 615 in 2019 to 814 in 2025, a 32 percent increase over six years, according to the ministry. The average monthly cost of English-language kindergarten programs in Seoul reached 1.6 million won in 2024 for half-day classes lasting more than three hours.

“The line between drill-based, memorization-focused classes and activities disguised as play is ambiguous, making enforcement difficult,” said Kim Cheol, head of policy and public relations at the Korea Kindergarten Association. “English kindergartens should be clearly defined as private education institutions separate from daycare centers and kindergartens, and measures such as banning full-day programs need to be introduced.”

Critics, however, question the effectiveness of the measures.

“Some institutes will effectively continue drill-based, cramming classes while disguising it as reading activities,” a parent of a 6-year-old child in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, said.

“Cognition-based instruction, like level tests at English kindergartens, can be distinguished from play through materials and activities such as reading and writing,” said Koo Bon-chang, head of policy alternatives at Noworry, a civic group dedicated to creating a life with no private education. “Stronger regulations than the current three-hour limit are needed to prevent side effects such as developmental harm.”

School children read at an elementary school in Gyeonggi on March 6. [NEWS1]

The government will gradually expand eligibility for after-school program vouchers, which were introduced this year for elementary school students. As of March of this year, 57.2 percent of third-grade elementary school students receive vouchers worth up to 500,000 won annually. The government aims to increase coverage among third graders in participating regions to 70 percent by the end of this year.

To reduce reliance on private education for arts and sports, the ministry will support a “one student, one art or sport” initiative through after-school sports clubs and arts programs at schools from next year through 2030.

“For first- and second-grade elementary students, we will continue to provide two hours of customized daily programs, effectively ensuring that students get out of school at 3 p.m.,” said Kim Hyo-shin, director of after-school care policy at the Education Ministry.

Prospective first graders and their parents look around first-grade classrooms at Changsin Elementary School in Busan on Jan. 6 during orientation. [YONHAP]

To prevent learning gaps during after-school hours and vacations, the ministry will provide one-on-one supplementary tutoring — about 20 hours per semester — to 60,000 students, delivered by teachers who are waiting to be assigned to schools and university students, both online and offline.

The ministry will also expand remote one-on-one “video tutoring” for socially and geographically disadvantaged middle and high school students, focusing on English and math. The number of participants will increase from about 1,300 in the first semester this year to 3,000 in the second semester and 5,000 next year.

To strengthen literacy in the AI era, the ministry will expand project-based and discussion-based classes and gradually introduce writing and essay programs linked to reading clubs in all middle schools by 2030.

“This plan aims to reduce private education costs by expanding services that can be felt within the public education system,” said Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin. “We will continue to provide diverse educational opportunities through schools.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-SANG, LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]