If you've ever tried to enroll your child at an English-immersion kindergarten ("English kindergarten") or a play school in Korea, you may have run into an entrance level test first. Some are written tests; others are short spoken interviews meant to gauge a young child's English ability. Starting October 1, this practice itself becomes illegal. Academies will no longer be allowed to administer tests or evaluations to recruit toddlers or sort them into level-based classes. Korea's Ministry of Education announced on September 22 that the Cabinet Council had deliberated and passed an amendment to the enforcement decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons covering this exact issue.

What's Banned — Far More Than Written and Oral Tests

The scope of this decree is broader than it first sounds. It prohibits written, oral, interview, and skills-demonstration tests, and it also covers "performance-style" evaluations that don't look like formal tests — problem-solving tasks, assignments, or presentations that function as de facto assessments. On top of that, it bans requiring or using outside certificates or report cards for admission or class placement, evaluations that rely on results verifying a specific ability, and any test that ranks children's ability levels against each other. The measure directly targets what Korean media has nicknamed the "age-4 exam" and "age-7 exam" culture.

The Parent Law Already Passed the National Assembly

This isn't a brand-new rule out of nowhere — it's a follow-up measure to the amended Hagwon Act that the National Assembly passed on March 12, 2026. As the parent law takes effect on October 1, the enforcement decree that spells out its details takes effect the same day. The decree itself went through a public notice-and-comment period starting in early July, and was finalized with this Cabinet Council decision on September 22 — about two months later. Since both the law and the decree have already cleared their respective procedures in sequence, this is a rule with a confirmed effective date, not a proposal still under discussion.

Observation- and Consultation-Style Diagnosis After Enrollment Is Still Allowed

Not all assessment disappears. Once a child is already enrolled at an academy, observation- or conversation-based diagnosis for the purpose of supporting instruction remains allowed. But even then, the academy must get the parent's or guardian's prior consent, and the results cannot be used for recruitment or class placement. In short, the law draws a clear line between "checking on a child after they're in" and "screening or ranking children before they get in."

Penalties for Violations — Fines and a Whistleblower Reward

Academies, private lesson centers, or individual tutors who break this rule face fines of ₩1 million for a first offense, ₩2 million for a second, and ₩3 million for a third — the amount rises with each repeat violation. The decree also creates a legal basis for paying a whistleblower reward, within budget limits, to anyone who reports a toddler recruitment or class-placement test. Enforcement runs through inspections by the local Office of Education, so if a parent is asked to have their child take a test or evaluation during an admissions consultation, contacting or reporting it to the relevant Office of Education's lifelong education division is an option.

Toddler Tutoring and Private Lesson Centers Must Register Too

Anyone planning to run private one-on-one tutoring or a small lesson center for toddlers must now register with the local Office of Education — this registration requirement is part of the same package of changes. It helps to know that so-called "English kindergartens" are legally classified as hagwons, not kindergartens, and both these facilities and private tutors fall under this ban-and-registration rule.

This Is Different From Regular Kindergarten and Daycare Admission

The level-test ban described here applies specifically to private institutions covered by the Hagwon Act. Formal admission to public kindergartens and daycare centers runs through separate application channels like Cheoeumhakgyoro and Isarang, where placement is decided by capacity and waiting order — a different legal basis and process entirely. It's worth keeping the two straight so you don't mistakenly assume daycare admissions are affected too.

If You Want to Withdraw From an Academy Because of This

Some families may want to pull their child out of an academy over concerns about level testing. That's a separate issue from the test ban itself — tuition refunds follow their own separate rules set by enforcement decree. And if you're weighing early English study before school age, it helps to know that English only becomes a formal subject starting in third grade under the school curriculum — so there's little reason to rank a preschooler's ability with a test in the first place.

Summary

① The amended Hagwon Act passed the National Assembly on March 12, 2026, and takes effect October 1. ② From that date, written, oral, interview, and skills tests — plus the use of outside report cards — for recruiting or placing toddlers are fully banned. ③ Observation- and consultation-style diagnosis after enrollment remains allowed with prior parental consent. ④ Violations bring fines from ₩1 million (first offense) up to ₩3 million (third offense), alongside a new whistleblower reward system. ⑤ Anyone running private tutoring or lesson centers for toddlers must register with their local Office of Education. Exact application can vary by academy or institute, so check with your local Office of Education's lifelong education division for details specific to your case.