Busan to Implement Fully Free Education for Ages 3-5 at Private Kindergartens Starting Next Year

Childcare Subsidies Also Increased
Busan Moves Toward Completing Free Education and Free Meals from Early Childhood to High School

Starting next year, all children aged 3 to 5 attending private kindergartens in Busan will receive fully free education. In addition, childcare subsidies for young children attending daycare centers will be expanded.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Kim Seokjun) and the Busan Metropolitan Council (Chairman Ahn Seongmin) announced on November 21 that they have agreed to support private kindergarten tuition up to 600,000 won per month-the standard early childhood education cost-from next year, in order to ease the financial burden on parents and ensure the public nature of early childhood education.

On the morning of the same day, the two organizations held a press conference in the chairman’s office of the Busan Metropolitan Council to announce the plan for “full implementation of free education at private kindergartens in 2026.” The announcement was attended by Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education; Ahn Seongmin, Chairman of the Busan Metropolitan Council; Lee Bokjo, Floor Leader of the People Power Party; Kang Mugil, Chairman of the Education Committee; Kang Cheolho, Chairman of the Operations Committee; Jo Sangjin, Chairman of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts; and Kim Changseok, Vice Chairman of the Education Committee.

Under this policy, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will increase its support for private kindergarten tuition from the current 410,000 won per month (280,000 won from government subsidies plus 130,000 won from its own budget) to 600,000 won per month starting next year, thereby effectively achieving fully free education.

Busan expanded free school meals to kindergartens in 2022, achieving free meals for all grades from kindergarten through high school. With the implementation of full free education at private kindergartens starting in 2026, Busan will become a region that completes the system of free education and free meals from early childhood through high school.

The tuition subsidy for young children is intended to support the Nuri Curriculum, the national standard curriculum for early childhood education. The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education also plans to include children of foreign nationality under the same criteria to ensure educational equity.

Childcare subsidies for children attending daycare centers will also be increased. The current monthly daycare subsidy of 50,000 won for 4- and 5-year-olds will be raised to 60,000 won per month starting next year.

The Office of Education plans to expand the subsidy to cover all children aged 3 to 5 from next year, up from the current 4- and 5-year-olds, and to increase the subsidy amount, thereby contributing to improvements in the educational and childcare environment at daycare centers.

This policy is expected to play a significant role in reducing household financial burdens, increasing access to early childhood education, and helping to close educational gaps between regions.

Chairman Ahn Seongmin stated, “Free education at private kindergartens and expanded childcare subsidies at daycare centers are core policies for making Busan a great city for raising children,” adding, “We will continue to create an environment where all children can grow up healthy and happy.”

Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, emphasized, “The implementation of free education is a new turning point for Busan-style educational welfare,” and added, “We will continue to support the field so that every child can receive high-quality education on an equal starting line.”

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.