Education Ministry Delays Despite Opposition to 'Starting School at Age 5'... Calls for Park Soon-ae's Resignation Spread

Maintains 'Public Discussion' Stance Despite Mention of 'Disposal'
Survey Shows 98% of Parents and Teachers Oppose Promotion
Deputy Prime Minister Park Sunae 'Passes Over' Reporters' Questions, Then Visits National Assembly

On the 3rd, members of the National Coalition to Prevent Early Elementary School Enrollment for Five-Year-Olds and related parties held a rally in front of the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, urging the withdrawal of the reform plan related to lowering the school enrollment age. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Since the announcement of the policy to lower the school entry age to 5 years old, parent groups and teacher organizations have been urging its withdrawal, but the Ministry of Education remains firm in its stance to decide after public discussion.

On the 6th, the National Coalition to Prevent Early Elementary School Entry at Age 5 announced plans to hold one-person protests in major regions starting from the 8th and to resume rallies from the 9th. On the 5th, the coalition held a full-scale rally demanding the withdrawal of the policy and requested a meeting with President Yoon Seok-yeol.

The coalition's co-representatives stated, "Regarding the school system reform, the Ministry of Education's Vice Minister, Minister, and the President's spokesperson each give different statements. The coalition has requested a meeting with the President to ensure that the voices of the people are accurately heard," adding, "Immediately cancel the policy of elementary school entry at age 5, which causes anxiety among parents and infringes on the development and play rights of young children."

During the rally, children themselves also spoke out. A fourth-grade student said, "If 7-year-old younger siblings go to elementary school, it would be dangerous because there are many sharp and hard objects at school." Another elementary student, Jeong, said, "I hope 7-year-old younger siblings do not attend school but instead spend time playing happily with friends at kindergarten."

Yoo Ki-hong, Chair of the National Assembly's Education Committee, criticized, "Early admission at age 5 is a meaningless system ignored by students and parents," and added, "It is deplorable that the future of children depends on a single word from the President."

Opposition to the policy is also evident in public opinion polls. A survey conducted by Assemblyman Kang Deuk-gu's office targeting over 130,000 students, parents, and teachers regarding lowering the school entry age to 5 showed that 97.9% of respondents opposed it. The proportion who chose "strongly oppose" reached 95.2%. Regarding the legitimacy of the policy implementation process, 98% disagreed, and 94.9% responded that the policy should be reconsidered by reflecting the opinions of parents, teachers, and related parties.

Regarding the plan proposed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae to promote early admission in 25% increments, 97.9% opposed it. The main reasons for opposition were △ students being harmed due to developmental stages not matching, especially younger students (68.3%) △ reduction and collapse of the early childhood education system (53.3%) △ concerns over a surge in private education costs due to early education fever (52.7%).

On the 3rd, members of the National Coalition to Prevent Early Elementary School Enrollment for Five-Year-Olds and related parties held a rally in front of the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, urging the withdrawal of the reform plan related to lowering the school enrollment age. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Although Minister Park took a step back by mentioning the term "discard" at a parent meeting on the 3rd, confusion continues. The Ministry of Education keeps repeating that a decision will be made after public surveys and discussions.

At that time, Minister Park said, "The policy can be modified, changed, or converted," and added, "If the public truly says no to this policy (lowering the school entry age to 5), I think it can be discarded," and "Since the discussed matters require legislation, once the National Education Commission is launched soon, we will prepare policies derived through swift public discussion and social consensus."

On the 3rd, Vice Minister Jang Sang-yoon appeared on KBS Radio and said, "We will design a national demand survey and start around September, conduct opinion surveys and public discussions until the end of the year, and reach social consensus on conclusions or alternatives by the first half of next year."

On the 4th, Jang Hong-jae, Director of School Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Education, said at a forum held at the National Assembly, "We intended to propose through social discussions and collect opinions from metropolitan and provincial education offices, parents, and related organizations, and start social consensus or discussions through the National Education Commission," adding, "The part known as being implemented in four stages from 2025 was a negligence on the Ministry of Education's part. It was our fault."

Since the Ministry of Education insists on public discussion, confusion is expected to continue until the 'reconsideration' plan is finalized. Given the strong opposition, the limited benefits, and the fact that previous administrations have failed multiple times with this policy, it is not easy to push it forward.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae is leaving the briefing room without taking questions from reporters immediately after the briefing on the academic operation plan for the second semester on the 4th.

As the Ministry of Education delays, calls for Deputy Prime Minister Park Soon-ae's resignation are spreading.

On the 4th, Minister Park read only her opening remarks at the briefing on the '2022 Academic Year Second Semester Academic Operation Plan' held at the Government Complex Sejong and left abruptly without taking questions from reporters, citing a schedule in Seoul.

It is known that on that day, Minister Park met with ruling party lawmakers who had expressed negative opinions about the Ministry of Education and herself ahead of her appearance at the National Assembly Education Committee on the 9th.

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