SEOUL — South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission has urged the Education Ministry to take urgent action against extreme early private education practices, including entrance exams administered by private academies—known as hagwons—to children even before they enter preschool.

In a statement on August 25, the commission highlighted that such early testing may violate children’s fundamental rights to health, development, rest, and play, as protected by both the South Korean Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The commission’s call follows a petition signed by 826 people demanding stronger government intervention to curb so-called “seven-year-old exams”—tests used by prominent hagwons to evaluate pre-schoolers’ skills in subjects like English, math, and coding before enrollment.

While the commission dismissed the petition on procedural grounds, citing its limited authority over private academies, it nevertheless issued a policy opinion underscoring the broader human rights concerns tied to these practices.

The watchdog emphasized that the intense competition fueling early testing deprives young children of essential age-appropriate experiences such as play, self-expression, and adequate rest. It recommended the Education Ministry conduct a nationwide survey on early childhood private education, require mandatory public disclosure of results, and impose stricter regulations on testing-based programs and foreign language instruction aimed at very young learners.

A 2024 report by Representative Kang Kyung-sook and the civic group World Without Worrying About Private Education found that over 74 percent of kindergartens in Seoul’s highly competitive Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa districts offered English immersion programs. Among these, 10 kindergartens reportedly provided full elementary-level curricula to preschool children, while only one kindergarten explicitly rejected early academic learning in favor of play-based education.

“These practices clearly undermine children’s rights,” the commission stated, urging the government to implement systemic safeguards that ensure children grow and learn in developmentally appropriate environments.