I-EUMLiving in Korea

If your child struggles with Korean — they can first learn in a Korean language class

This page is machine translated from Ieumi's guide written in Korean. If the meaning is confusing, please look at the Korean original text. View original text (Korean)

Students who came from abroad or whose Korean is very limited can first learn Korean and school life in a "Korean language class" inside a school, or at a school or institution the education office entrusts (commissioned type). Both count toward academic records.

📌 Key points

Korean language classes are at schools chosen by the provincial education office. If your child's school has none, they can be sent to another school's class or a commissioned one, and there is also "visiting Korean education" where a teacher comes to the school. Ask the school and your local multicultural education support center first.

🔢 Do these in order

  1. First apply to the school for admission or transfer — see the item "Elementary school entry for a child of foreign nationality". For middle school, apply to the head of the education office or the middle school principal.
  2. Ask the school: "Is there a Korean language class, and if not, where can my child go?" It is for students who cannot communicate in Korean or whose Korean is very limited; students who came from abroad, foreign students and refugee students come first.
  3. As a rule, a Korean class inside the school (direct type) lasts up to 4 semesters, and a commissioned school or institution returns the student to their original class within 1 year. Both count toward academic records.
  4. The "center type" run by some education offices is not an accredited institution — wherever your child goes, be sure to ask: "Does this count toward academic records?"
  5. Dormitories, costs and commuting differ by school and institution — ask that school directly. If speaking Korean is hard, the Danuri Call Center 1577-1366 helps with interpretation.
  6. At home too — there is "모두의 한국어" (korean.edunet.net), an online Korean learning service from the Ministry of Education and KERIS for students who struggle with Korean. Ask the school how to use it.

📞 Contact

Your child's (future) school · the provincial education office's multicultural education support center

💻 Do it online

⚠️ Things to watch out for

This follows the Ministry of Education's "2024 Multicultural Education Korean Language Class Guidelines" (applied for 2024–2025) and the "2026 Ministry of Education Work Plan". It can differ by education office and by year, so check with the school.

See also

Basis

  • 교육부 이주배경학생지원팀 · 17개 시·도교육청 「2024학년도 다문화교육 한국어학급 운영 가이드라인」 https://file.edu4mc.or.kr/nime_upload/attach/00000/2856/20240304095946012.pdf — 경상남도교육청 다문화교육센터가 2025-03-06 「2024~2025학년도」로 게시(https://www.gne.go.kr/multiculture/user/bbs/BD_selectBbs.do?q_bbsSn=1023&q_bbsDocNo=20250306133747911). 2026-10-05 받아 읽음: 개념 · 직영형/위탁형 학력인정 · 센터형 학력인정 아님 · 대상(중도입국 · 외국인 · 난민 우선) · 6개월~4학기 · 직영 최대 4학기 · 위탁 1년 이내 · 찾아가는 한국어교육
  • 교육부 「2026년 교육부 업무계획」 보도자료(2025-12-12) https://www.moe.go.kr/upload/filedown/2026_business_plan_press_release.pdf — 한국어 역량 진단 도구 · 학습한국어 자료 · AI 한국어교육 시스템 「모두의 한국어」 고도화
  • 교육부 학생지원국 보도자료 「인공지능(AI) 한국어교육 시스템, 이주배경학생의 생생한 목소리 담는다」(2026-07-14, KDI 경제정보센터 https://eiec.kdi.re.kr/policy/materialView.do?num=284193) · 「모두의 한국어」 https://korean.edunet.net (한국교육학술정보원 — 「한국어에 익숙하지 못한 학생들(중도입국 학생, 외국인 학생 등)의 한국어 학습을 지원하는 온라인 서비스」, 2026-10-05 접속 확인)
  • 서울시교육청 서울교육소식(2026-04-07) https://enews.sen.go.kr/news/view.do?bbsSn=191007 — 2026 한국어학급 47(특별학급 29 · 한국어교실 18) · 예비학교 · 찾아가는 한국어교실(지역 예 — 항목 본문에는 안 씀)
  • 다문화교육포털 유관기관 https://www.edu4mc.or.kr/guide/inst/list.html

This content was checked on 2026-10-05.

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