Illegal Dormitory Academy Expelled from Gangwon-do Moves to Icheon, Gyeonggi-do and Continues Operation

Operating Under Another Dormitory Academy's Name
Local Education Office Official: "It's a Loophole, but No Regulatory Basis"

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An illegal boarding academy that planned classes in an unauthorized extension building located in Gangwon Province to evade necessary regulations has been confirmed to have moved its operations to Gyeonggi Province. Although it uses loopholes such as borrowing trade names, the education authorities state that there is no legal basis for administrative sanctions.

According to an investigation by this paper on the 27th, the illegal boarding academy business 'Aneun Gongbu Camp,' which has potential violations of the Academy Establishment, Operation, and Private Tutoring Act (Academy Act), is still operating an academy in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, registered only as a mail-order business operator. Aneun Gongbu Camp is a company that provides entrance exam education in the form of a boarding academy for 3 to 4 weeks without registering as a boarding academy under the Academy Act.

Aneun Gongbu Camp was scheduled to conduct entrance exam education at a violating building in the Koresco Condo located in Hoengseong, Gangwon, on the 17th. However, when the Hoengseong Office of Education designated this as illegal and attempted to take action, it is known that the academy moved to Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. During this process, Aneun Gongbu Camp also borrowed the trade name of boarding academy A located in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Boarding academy A is a company that has completed the registration procedure under the Academy Act.

Aneun Study Camp operates as a boarding academy registered administratively as Academy A. However, it still used a loophole by operating the academy under the name Aneun Study Camp. /Provided by informant

Experts explain that if Aneun Gongbu Camp abandons its original trade name and recruits students or provides educational services under the name of boarding academy A, there would be no grounds for violation. However, Aneun Gongbu Camp is still operating the academy under its original trade name. According to the operational status disclosed by Aneun Gongbu Camp through Naver Cafe and others, students studied in front of a placard labeled Aneun Gongbu Camp. Additionally, parents who wanted to send parcels to their children were instructed to write 'Aneun Gongbu Camp, grade, name,' etc., on the parcels. A parent named Jeong, whose child was sent to Aneun Gongbu Camp, said, "I only know that my daughter went to study at a boarding academy called Aneun Gongbu Camp."

However, the local education office explains that punishment or administrative sanctions are practically difficult in this regard. A representative from the Icheon Office of Education said, "Operating a boarding academy without registration and borrowing a trade name is clearly a loophole," but added, "Administratively, since the teachers and staff of Aneun Gongbu Camp are registered at boarding academy A, and there is no clear legal basis to regulate such cases, it is difficult for the education authorities to take the initiative."

Using such methods makes it easier to evade the supervision of education authorities, allowing illegal boarding academies to avoid necessary regulations. Violations of facility rules, safety rules, and quarantine rules required under the Academy Act could put students at risk. An industry insider explained, "Operating a boarding academy according to the Academy Act is costly during semesters when many students do not attend," and added, "To reduce those costs somehow, they operate illegal boarding academies without registering under the Academy Act."

There are also concerns that such illegal boarding academies have been increasing recently, making countermeasures urgent. A representative from the education authorities said, "Recently, reports related to illegal boarding academies borrowing only the trade names of boarding academy businesses registered under the Academy Act have been continuing in other city and provincial education offices," and added, "For field officers to take administrative actions, higher institutions such as the Ministry of Education need to move by preparing the legal grounds."

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