Families with a child about to start elementary school receive an enrollment notice around December, and the school holds a pre-enrollment gathering (yebi-sojip) around the winter break. Most people think of it as an orientation session, but the gathering has a second purpose: the school checks in person that every child due to enroll is accounted for and safe. If you cannot attend and do not get in touch, the school starts searching for the child in a set order. In 2027, children born in 2020 are the ones affected. This article follows the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, its Enforcement Decree and Ministry of Education press releases, and explains what the school does when a child does not show up and what guardians can do beforehand.

The gathering is both an orientation and a check that the child is safe

When announcing the 2026 school-year gathering, the Ministry of Education said guardians must attend in person with the child, and that if a child does not attend, the child's whereabouts and safety are checked and, where necessary, a police investigation is requested. Getting the enrollment notice online through Government24 and submitting it does not replace attendance. The timing of the notice and the full entry sequence are in our article on the order of starting primary school, so this article focuses on what happens after a no-show.

Last year's result: the whereabouts of 99.9% of children were confirmed

According to the Ministry of Education's announcement on February 26, 2026, the 2026 gatherings ran for 46 days, from December 16, 2025 to January 30, 2026. There were 320,157 children due to enroll, and the whereabouts of 320,033 of them (99.9%) were confirmed. The remaining 124 were not located; 118 were found to have left the country, and the ministry asked local police abroad to investigate through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas missions. For six children believed to be in Korea, police were investigating.

After a no-show, the school moves from calls to entry records to a home visit

The same press release says that for children who did not attend, authorities checked whereabouts through phone or video calls, confirmation of entry and exit records, and home visits, and asked police to investigate if that was not enough. The legal basis for checking entry and exit records is Article 28-2 of the Enforcement Decree. When needed for managing school enrollment, the principal and the superintendent can check resident registration data and entry-exit certificates through shared administrative information. In other words, even if nobody answers the phone, the school can check whether the child is registered as living in Korea and whether there is a departure record.

If the child still has not enrolled after the start date, reminders and reports follow

When a child fails to appear at the March start rather than at the gathering, Article 25 of the Decree applies. If the child has not enrolled within two days of the start date, the principal must urge or warn the guardian and may visit the home or ask the guardian to come to the school. For a home visit, the principal can ask the head of the local neighborhood office to accompany them and the local police chief to cooperate. If three days pass after the reminder, or two or more reminders fail, the principal reports to the neighborhood office head and the superintendent. Article 68 of the Act allows a fine of up to 1 million won for someone who still fails to fulfil the duty to send the child to school after being urged to. What happens when absences continue after enrollment is covered in our article on unexcused absences.

If your child is abroad or about to leave, tell the school first

The Ministry of Education advised guardians of children staying abroad to contact the school beforehand and explain the situation. Of the 124 children who could not be located last year, 118 had left the country, so one call makes the biggest difference. Contact does not remove the duty to enroll, though. For when schooling can be exempted or deferred for an elementary pupil living overseas, read our article on school enrolment when going abroad first, and then ask the school and the local office of education about your own case before leaving.

If you have moved or your address differs, check the notice first

The head of the neighborhood office must send the enrollment notice by December 20 of the year before the start date (Article 17 of the Decree). If the notice has not arrived by late December, the registered address often differs from where the family actually lives, so do not wait: ask the community service center for your registered address. If the notice cannot be delivered because the guardian is absent or the address is unknown, the office head may ask the police to help locate the child. A child who moves into the district after the October 1 reference date for the enrollment list is added to the list without delay.

If attending or enrolling is hard, apply under the right system in advance

If a child's condition or your schedule means you cannot attend on the set day, do not simply skip it. Call the school first and ask about another date or method. Delaying school entry itself has its own procedure. You submit an application for postponed entry to the head of the neighborhood office between October 1 and December 31 of the year the child turns 6, and no reason is required. If that window has passed or there is illness or another unavoidable reason, you apply to the principal for a deferral of the schooling duty, and it is decided after review by the compulsory education management committee. The difference between the two is laid out in our comparison of postponed entry and deferral.

Order of steps: what guardians can do ahead of time

First, check this year's enrollment notice schedule from the Ministry of Education and education office announcements in late November and from Government24. Last year, online issuance opened on December 3 and mailing and hand delivery started on December 10, but the dates for 2027 may differ. Second, go to the school with your child on the gathering date shown on the notice. Third, if you cannot go because of an overseas stay, a move or illness, call the school before the date and submit any documents it asks for. Fourth, if you plan to delay entry, apply at the community service center before December 31. This article explains the system and is not legal advice on any individual case. Confirm exact dates and documents with the assigned school and your local office of education.