Over 11,100 Absent from Seoul Elementary Preliminary Assembly... "Investigation Requested if Location Unknown"

On the 8th, the preliminary enrollment day for elementary school, prospective elementary students and their parents are lining up to register for admission at Sinyongsan Elementary School in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] According to the preliminary enrollment results for new elementary school students, about 16% of them were absent in Seoul alone.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 10th that 11,124 children were absent from the preliminary enrollment held on the 8th at 562 public elementary schools.

This year, the number of children eligible to enter elementary school in Seoul is 71,356, of which 68,278 children were notified to attend public elementary schools, excluding those admitted to private elementary schools. The absentee rate for the preliminary enrollment based on those notified to attend public elementary schools is 16%.

The Office of Education estimated that most of the children who did not attend the preliminary enrollment either enrolled in unauthorized alternative schools, went abroad for unapproved study, or intended to postpone their enrollment.

However, to ensure the safety of these children, the Office decided to cooperate with community centers and others to locate children who are absent and whose whereabouts are unknown. The Office also plans to request police investigations if the whereabouts cannot be confirmed despite all efforts or if there are signs of child abuse.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.