The educational system of Korea consists of six grades of primary school, three grades of middleschool, three years of high school and four years of university (or two years of college).The sixyear curriculum of primary schools and the three-year curriculum of middle schools are operated asmandatory education, and tuition is free during this period.
In Korea, the school year is divided into two semesters. The first semester is from March 1 to the dateset by the school principal, considering the number of school days, holidays, and the school curriculum.The second semester starts the day after the last day of the first semester and ends on the last day ofFebruary the following year. Generally, the first semester starts in early March, and the second semesterstarts between late August and early September. The education curriculum for elementary, middle,and high school is divided into two sections: curricular and creative experiential activities.
Designated kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools provide Korean classes to support Korean language and culture education for students such as immigrant children, etc., who lack Korean language skills. A total of 284 schools (as of 2021) are in operation nationwide for 387 Korean classes. When the school does not operate the program, you can still get Korean language education through “visiting Korean education.” You can check for local Korean classes through the Education Offices of si (city) or do (province) or on the Multicultural Education Portal (www.edu4mc.or.kr).
To encourage bilingual education, bilingual textbooks and e-books are developed and distributed. The Bilingual Speech Contest is held every year. You can visit the Mirae Asset Park Hyeon Joo Foundation (foundation.miraeasset.com) or the National Center for Multicultural Education portal (www.edu4mc.or.kr) to download the bilingual textbooks (Language to learn with Mom and Dad*, etc.). The Bilingual Speech Contest selects students through school and local contests to hold the national contest every early December.
1:1 matching with university/college student to support adaptation to school and basic learning skills. The university/college student mentor visits the school of the multicultural student to help with study after school or during vacation. Mentoring is available for approximately 20 hours per week (40 hours per week during vacation). You can participate by applying through the school or local children's center.
Multicultural alternative schools: support multicultural students who want to receive personalized education or who have stopped school education. The school’s achievement is recognized officially.
School Name | Level | Feature | Tuition | Inquiry |
---|---|---|---|---|
The School of Global Sarang Elementary (Guro-gu, Seoul) (www.globalsarang.com) | Elemen- tary |
| Free | 02-6910-1004 |
Seoul Dasom Tourism High School (Formerly, Seoul Dasom School, Jongno-gu, Seoul) (www.sds.hs.kr) | High |
| Free | 070-8685-7798 |
Korean Polytechnics Dasom School (Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do) (dasom.kopo.ac.kr) | High |
| Free (Free dormitory) | 043-649-2800 |
Incheon Hannuri School (Namdong-gu, Incheon) (www.hanuri.icesc.kr) | Elemen- tary · Middle · High |
| Elemen- tary · middle : Free High : Charged (Additional expense for dormitory) | 032-442-2104 032-442-2109 |
Hae Mill School (Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do) (haemillschool.com) | Middle |
| Free (including boarding expenses) | 033-433-8761 |
International schools (foreign schools) are for non-Korean children and children of Korean parentswho lived abroad for at least three years with their children and returned to Korea. They aredesigned to provide education for those who are not able to continue their studies at an ordinaryKorean school due to the lack of Korean language skills. There are 40 international/foreign schoolsin Korea, 19 being in Seoul, 6 in Gyeonggi-do, 5 in Busan, 2 in Incheon, 2 in Gyeongsangnam-do,2 in Daegu, and one school each in Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan, and Gangwon-do.