Hagwon Transfer and Change of Founder-Operator Registration — 7-Day Processing and Premium Contract Special Terms

Procedure

1. 1. Check disciplinary history and transferee disqualifications

   Registration of a hagwon teaching the same curriculum at the same location may be refused within 1 year of a registration cancellation or during a teaching suspension period (Article 6(6) of the Act). Because a closure report cannot be filed while disposition proceedings are pending (Article 10(4) of the Act), confirm the disciplinary history with the local office of education before signing, and also confirm that the transferee does not fall under the disqualifications in Article 9 of the Act.

2. 2. Include licensing special terms in the transfer contract

   Specify the items transferred (list of facilities and equipment, business name, phone number, rights to use teaching materials) and the handover date. Write the confirmation deadline and refund deadline as dates for the following clauses: termination and refund of amounts received if the change of operator registration is not accepted for reasons not attributable to the transferee, termination and settlement if the lease is not concluded, and responsibility for dispositions, rent and unpaid amounts arising before the handover date.

3. 3. Apply for change of founder-operator registration

   Enter both the transferor and the transferee on the Application for Change of Registration of Hagwon Founder-Operator (Enforcement Rule Form No. 10), attach the contract signed by hand by the transferor and a document proving the right to use the premises, and submit it to the superintendent of the local office of education (Article 6(5) of the Enforcement Rule). The processing period is 7 days and there is no fee; once accepted, the registration certificate is reissued with the changes and must be posted at the hagwon. If tuition and fees, the instructor list or the curriculum also change, file a separate change of registration using the Application for Change of Hagwon Registration (Form No. 8).

4. 4. Confirm the procedure for taking over a gyoseupso

   In a gyoseupso, one tutor teaches only one subject at one location in person and may not employ instructors (Article 14(7) of the Act, Article 15(2) of the Enforcement Decree). The gyoseupso change report form (Form No. 19) names the existing tutor as the reporter and has no transferor or transferee fields, so confirm with the local office of education whether a change of tutor is accepted as a change report or handled by the existing tutor's closure report (Form No. 20) and the new tutor's establishment and operation report (Form No. 16). The office must notify whether a report or change report is accepted within 8 days of receipt (Article 14(2) of the Act).

5. 5. Settle prepaid tuition and inform students

   List each student's prepaid tuition, outstanding amounts and expected refunds as of the handover date, and write the settlement standard in the contract. If the hagwon becomes unable to teach, the amount calculated on a daily basis under Annex 4 of the Enforcement Decree must be refunded within 5 days of the date the refund ground arises (Article 18(2) and (3) of the Enforcement Decree), so separate students who will continue from those who will be refunded and inform them before the handover.

Required documents

• Application for Change of Registration of Hagwon Founder-Operator (Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Form No. 10)
• Transfer contract signed by hand by the transferor or other document proving the transferor's intent (for inheritance, a document proving heirship)
• Document proving the right to use the teaching premises (where the hagwon property belongs to another person, such as a lease contract)
• Transferee's resident registration abstract or corporate registration certificate (if not consenting to shared administrative information use)
• Application for Change of Hagwon Registration (Form No. 8, where tuition and fees, the instructor list or the curriculum also change)
• Gyoseupso suspension/closure report (Form No. 20) and gyoseupso establishment and operation report (Form No. 16) (when taking over a gyoseupso and the office of education advises a new report)
• Documents proving the tutor's qualifications and floor plan of the gyoseupso (for a new gyoseupso report)
• Settlement statement of each student's prepaid tuition and expected refund as of the handover date

Fees

The forms state that there is no fee for the Application for Change of Registration of Hagwon Founder-Operator, the Application for Change of Hagwon Registration, the gyoseupso establishment and operation report and change report, or the hagwon and gyoseupso suspension and closure reports. Our office fee starts from the amount shown above and may vary depending on whether it is a hagwon or a gyoseupso, whether a change of tuition registration is filed at the same time, and the scope of the contract special terms; we will give you an exact quote after reviewing your documents.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 6
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 9
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 10
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 14
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 17
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 7
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 18 and Annex 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 6 and Form No. 10

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-27

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Operating the hagwon in the transferee's name before the change of registration is accepted counts as making a change without change of registration and may be grounds for a teaching suspension or registration cancellation (Article 17(1)6 of the Act).
• Matters set by city or provincial ordinances and education rules, such as how tuition is posted and facility standards, differ by region, so they must be confirmed with the competent office of education.

Frequently asked questions