South Korea expands education policy on migrant student diversity and student record consulting

The Korean Education Development Institute reports that the number of students from migrant backgrounds rose from about 80,000 in 2015 to over 200,000 projected for 2025, a 2.5‑fold increase in ten years. While the overall diversity of students’ parental nationalities has grown, regional gaps remain: Incheon records the highest average of language groups per school (4.54) and Gangwon the lowest (2.41). China, Vietnam and the Philippines account for 68.6 % of migrant‑background students, prompting calls for region‑specific Korean‑language teaching manuals.

On 29 July, a revision to the Korean primary‑through‑high‑school education law barred private academies and consulting firms from using student records for commercial purposes. The Ministry of Education introduced public counselling services to replace the banned private‑sector advice, deploying roughly 500 experienced counsellors and offering weekly slots to about 250 students. However, students and parents argue that the public option cannot meet demand, citing limited capacity and insufficient guidance compared with former private services.