How to Find Your Ministry of Education (MOE) Office in Korea

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is the government body responsible for education in Korea. It oversees public schools, private education institutes such as language academies and private schools, cyber education, lifelong learning programs, universities, and educational districts. Understanding the MOE’s policies and services is important because it supervises all workplaces eligible to sponsor E-2 visas for native English teachers. 

 

Teachers must complete registration with the local Office of Education within 15 days of their start date. You can check whether your job is registered with the Ministry of Education

 

Source: Ministry of Education

Korea’s education system is organized around 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education, each aligned with one of the country’s 17 first-level administrative divisions. These divisions include:

• 1 Special City (Seoul)
• 6 Metropolitan Cities (Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan)
• 1 Special Self-Governing City (Sejong)
• 8 Provinces (Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam)
• 1 Special Self-Governing Province (Jeju)

There are also 176 local (lower-level) Offices of Education operating under these, but for purposes of the E-2 visa, the primary authority you will interact with is your regional Metropolitan or Provincial Office of Education.

 

Source: Ministry of Education