Thousands of Schools in South Korea Close as Student Numbers Plummet

JAKARTA - More than 4,000 elementary, middle, and high schools across South Korea have been forced to close as the number of students in the country has shrunk, according to the latest data.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Education, which were revealed late last month by member of Parliament Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, since 1980, 4,008 schools under 17 regional education offices across the country have been closed until March 2025.

During this period, the number of students enrolled decreased from 9.9 million to 5.07 million.

"A large number of schools have been closed, and this will continue as the number of students decreases," Jin said as quoted by The Korea Times (13/1).

Primary schools account for the majority of closures, with 3,674 schools permanently closed, compared to 264 secondary schools and 70 high schools. In the past five years alone, 158 schools have closed, and an additional 107 schools are projected to close in the next five years.

South Korea's birth rate - the lowest in the world with its total fertility rate still below 0.8 - is the main reason behind this contraction.

The closing rate also shows that the registration decline is expected to be faster in the provincial area than in the capital city area.

The largest number of closures was in North Jeolla Province with 16 schools, followed by South Jeolla Province (15 schools), Gyeonggi Province (12) and South Chungcheong Province (11).

The country's broader demographic outlook suggests the contraction will only intensify in the coming years, if not decades.

The state-run Korea Educational Development Institute estimates the number of elementary, middle and high school students to reach around 5.07 million this year and is projected to decline to around 4.25 million by 2029 - a drop of more than 800,000 students in just six years.

Ministry data also revealed a serious gap in the management of closed school locations. Of the 4,008 schools that have been closed, 376 are still not in use. Among them, 266 have been abandoned for more than a decade, and 82 have been abandoned for more than 30 years.

According to the parliament member's office, the figures show that the continued management and reuse of old school facilities lags behind the speed of closure, raising concerns about the waste of public assets.

"We must not stop at closing schools, but must develop a long-term roadmap to transform them into assets for the local community," Jin said.