Nationwide crackdown on 'English kindergartens' begins

By Park Si-soo

The education ministry has launched a nationwide crackdown on private English institutes for preschoolers that promote themselves as English-teaching “kindergartens.”

It began on Thursday and will continue through November in association with local education offices, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the National Tax Service.

Many private language institutes illegally promote themselves as “kindergartens” on signs or flyers because it is easier to attract students.

English “kindergartens” are said to charge three or four times as much as genuine kindergartens. Nevertheless, they are free from complicated management and hygiene rules that apply to genuine kindergartens.

Another target of the crackdown is institutes charging higher than legal limits and hiring teachers without a mandatory check of their criminal history.

The ministry said along with “kindergartens,” such institutes are not allowed to use “preschool,” “nursery school” or “kids school” on their signs or other promotional material.

Violators can be fined up to 5 million won or forced to close if their violations are serious.

In December, the ministry sent a warning letter to popular online communities for parents of preschoolers, in which it asked the parents to share the letter with English “kindergartens” and encourage them to change their signs.