The headquarters of Korea's National Human Rights Commission in central Seoul (Yonhap)
The headquarters of Korea's National Human Rights Commission in central Seoul (Yonhap)

'7-year-old exams’ assessing preschoolers’ skills may violate human right: watchdog

South Korea’s human rights watchdog has urged the Education Ministry to address extreme forms of early private education, including entrance exams administered by private academies to preschool-aged children.

In a statement released Monday, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea said such practices may violate children’s rights to health, development, rest and play, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The move came in response to a petition submitted by 826 individuals who called on the government to take stronger action against “7-year-old exams.” The term, widely used in South Korea, refers to tests administered by well-known private education institutes, or hagwons, to assess preschoolers’ proficiency in subjects such as English, math or coding before enrollment.

Although the commission dismissed the petition on procedural grounds, citing that private academies fall outside its direct investigative authority, it acknowledged the broader human rights concerns and issued a policy opinion to the Education Ministry.

The commission emphasized that these early education practices, driven by excessive competition, deprive young children of their right to age-appropriate experiences, such as play, self-expression and rest. It recommended a nationwide survey of early childhood private education, mandatory disclosure of the findings, and stricter regulation of testing-based programs and intensive foreign language instruction targeting young children.

A 2024 report by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook and the civic group World Without Worrying About Private Education found that over 74 percent of kindergartens in Seoul’s Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa districts — areas known for fierce educational competition — operated English immersion programs. Among them, 10 kindergartens were confirmed to offer full elementary-level curricula to preschoolers, while only one institution actively rejected early academic learning in favor of play-based education.

“These practices clearly undermine children’s rights,” the commission said, “and call for systemic safeguards to ensure that all children can grow and learn in developmentally appropriate environments.”


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