What changed
2026-07-29 03:24 UTC → 2026-07-30 09:19 UTC ·
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In early July 2026 South Korea’s Ministry of Education announced a reform that bans the has tightened control over student records, banning their commercial acquisition and use of student records. by private academies and consulting firms. The amendment to the Primary and Secondary Education Act makes it illegal for private academies or individuals to Act, effective 29 March 2027, criminalises trade, sell, sale or profit from school‑life data, with penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of up to 50 million won. The law, slated to take effect on 29 March 2027, law also designates third‑ and fourth‑grade elementary classes, first‑year middle‑school classes and first‑year high‑school early‑grade classes as “reading‑focus years” to improve boost literacy. When Following the ban went into force, ban’s launch, private entrance‑exam companies suspended their halted online admission‑prediction services, prompting complaints from high‑school seniors and parents. To mitigate the information gap, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education expanded to expand public college‑admissions counseling, operating a counselling. Initially, one‑on‑one center for more than centres served over 2,000 local students and parents from 29 March to 1 April and adding parents, supplemented by online video counseling sessions for up to 600 participants, using tools such as the “Senjinak Compass” web service. participants. On 27 July 2026 the Ministry issued detailed guidance clarifying clarified that merely brief viewing of a student record briefly is not a violation, permissible, but receiving, storing or accumulating electronic files constitutes “acquisition” and may trigger the same penalties. The same briefing highlighted illegal acquisition. Guidance accompanied a vocational‑education innovation program pilot in the Jeonnam–Gwangju region, Jeonnam–Gwangju, allowing high‑school students to take university courses and earn up to four university credits in fields such as AI, electric‑vehicle labs and baking, baking. A further development on 29 July 2026 highlighted the rapid growth of migrant‑background students, rising from 80,000 in 2015 to improve employability and retain talent. Additionally, Gwangju Ilgo High School an estimated 200,000 in 2025. Regional disparities emerged, with Incheon schools averaging 4.54 language groups per school versus 2.41 in Gangwon. China, Vietnam and Chosun University completed the regional history textbook “Gwangju Modern History 1,” approved Philippines account for use in 68.6 % of these students, spurring calls for tailored Korean‑language teaching manuals. To replace the second‑grade regular curriculum, marking banned private‑sector advice, the first textbook issued after Ministry deployed roughly 500 experienced counsellors, offering weekly slots to about 250 students. Parents and students, however, argue that the Jeonnam‑Gwangju education office merger. public service cannot meet the high demand, citing limited capacity and less comprehensive guidance than previously available.