Schools delay new semester for two more weeks

Some 20,528 special-education schools, as well as kindergartens, primary and secondary schools nationwide, have postponed the spring semester to March 23, further delaying the start of the new semester by two weeks. The South Korean government had delayed the new semester for the first time on Jan. 23. Daegu, which has the most COVID-19 cases in the country, postponed the start of the new semester on Jan. 29 by two weeks in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye announced the additional delay of the new school year on Monday at the government office complex in Seoul. “The next two weeks will be critical to curbing the growth of new COVID-19 cases,” she said. “It is unavoidable to close schools for three weeks as it requires one more week to decide if schools can provide a safe environment for students.” Additional delay for the start of the spring semester will be determined depending on the circumstances of each region.


Ye-Na Choi yena@donga.com · Sung-Min Park min@donga.com