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In Korea, alternative education institutions are facilities, corporations, or other organizations that offer alternative education and have historically registered with the local superintendent of the Office of Education. In 2022, the Ministry of Education passed the Alternative Education Institutions Act, which requires registration of alternative schools. Previously, registration was encouraged, but it was not mandated and enforced. In 2022, there were approximately 50 registered alternative education institutions.
In 2024, the Ministry of Education designated the Korea Youth Policy Institute to promote and develop alternative education institutions. Today, nearly half of the 250 schools listed in the new Alternative School Registration System are Christian alternative education institutions.
The official Alternative School Registration System is maintained online at the Alternative Education Institution Support Center website. The registry includes schools offering elementary, middle, and high school programs and some schools that are integrated to offer more than one level.
These alternative education institutions are not authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act but rather the Alternative Education Institutions Act, meaning that they are not accredited by the Ministry of Education.
Inclusion in the Alternative School Registration System is not the same as recognition or accreditation. The requirements for registration include paperwork that details the establishment date, student capacity, facility and equipment status, ownership status, educational goals, school regulations, curriculum plan, and staff deployment plan. Sometimes on-site inspections are required, but the registration process typically results in approval within one month.
Successful registration leads to the school being licensed, but this is not the same as academic accreditation or recognition. Registration as an alternative education institution does not imply any quality control. A license or registration to operate as an educational business is not the same as having academic accreditation from the Ministry of Education.
This is akin to state licensing in the US. In the US, regulation of private schools is not done at the national level by the Department of Education. State and local governments set out laws, regulations, and policies that affect the opening and operation of private schools to ensure the institution meets minimum requirements by the state and compliance with local regulations. Some states have no requirements for licensing, registration, or accreditation of private schools.
Alternative education institutions in Korea have autonomy over their curriculum compared to state schools and independent or private non-state schools accredited by the Ministry of Education. As alternative providers of primary or secondary education, students at alternative education institutions are not required to complete Korean compulsory education.
As a result, many alternative education institutions seek accreditation elsewhere, such as US regional or national accrediting bodies like the Middle States Association of Colleges of Schools-Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), the National Council for Private School Education (NCPSA), Accreditation International (AI), and other external accreditors.
Some alternative education institutions follow the educational system of other countries or systems that lead to external qualifications, such as the British education culminating in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. Those institutions following a US curriculum often register with the College Board to offer Advanced Placement (AP) examinations or the SAT examinations.
In addition, since these alternative education institutions are not recognized educational institutions, students who graduate from them often pursue the Korean Qualification for High School Graduation, Korean High School Entrance and Graduation Certificate for Self-Study, or High School Equivalency Diploma, also known as the Korean GED.
This equivalency diploma is awarded after passing a rigorous examination developed by the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation, which ensures that all graduates have met a minimum standard. Holders of the Korean GED are considered to have the same qualification as a graduate from a recognized high school and is comparable to a college-preparatory high school diploma.
Resources:
Alternative School Registration System of the Korea Youth Policy Institute: https://www.alter-edu.re.kr/board?menuId=MENU002020300000000 and https://www.alter-edu.re.kr/board?menuId=MENU002010200000000 and https://www.alter-edu.re.kr/mps/alterEdu?menuId=MENU002070000000000
Alternative Education Institutions Related Laws and Issues, and Legislative and Policy Improvement Tasks. National Assembly, 2021. https://www.nars.go.kr/report/view.do?cmsCode=CM0043&brdSeq=35370
An Analysis of Multifacted Changes in Alternative Education. Korea Educational Development Institute, 2023. https://www.kedi.re.kr/eng/kedi/bbs/B0000006/view.do?nttId=3283&menuNo=200014&pageIndex=
Changes Resulting from the Introduction of the Alternative School Registration System and the Future Direction of Christian Alternative Schools. Christian Studies Research Association, 2024. https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART003066780
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Korea: Primary and Secondary Education. National Center on Education and the Economy. https://ncee.org/korea/
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One Year after the Enforcement of the Alternative Education Institutions Act (Registration System). Korean Christian School Education Research Institute, 2023. http://www.cserc.or.kr/sub3_4/48865
Private School Regulations’ Comparison Chart: Accreditation, Registration, Licensing, and Approval. US Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/about/inits/ed/non-public-education/files/permission-to-operate-comparison-chart.pdf
State Regulation of Private and Home School. US Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/birth-grade-12-education/school-choice/state-regulation-of-private-and-home-schools
State Regulation of Private Schools. US Department of Education, 2009. https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
Status of Alternative Schools in South Korea as of June 2023. Naver.com. https://blog.naver.com/futureandhope0587/223141141903
Status of Alternative Schools and Specialized Alternative Education Schools (as of 2025). Gyeonggido Office of Education. https://www.goe.go.kr/resource/old/BBSMSTR_000000030220/BBS_202504210125406601.pdf
A Study on the Current Status of Alternative School Operations. Korea Educational Development Institute, 2009.
https://www.kedi.re.kr/khome/main/research/selectPubForm.do?plNum0=6984