In Korea, the public education system begins with elementary school for children of ages 7 through 12. Middle
school is for children of ages 13 through 15, and high school for teens of 16 to 18. Students can then continue
on to university from age 19.

Kindergarten education aims at providing an appropriate environment for nurturing children and promoting the wholesome development of children through various enjoyable activities with diversified content and methods of instruction. The kindergarten curriculum developed by the state is composed of the five life domains of health, society, expression, language, and exploration. As of Currently, 36,833 children attend 61 public kindergartens and 314 private kindergartens in Busan. Before 1976, private kindergartens established by religious groups and private organizations played a key role in the development early childhood education. The first primary-school-annexed kindergarten introduced in 1976 changed such trend through the policy to promote kindergarten education in 1981, putting public kindergartens in the forefront as a leader in early childhood education. Based on the Education Act, the government established the Kindergarten Facilities Standard Ordinance (1962), kindergarten curriculum (1969), Pre-School Education Promotion Act (1982), and the Pre-School Education Act (2004). A total of six amendments have been approved so far. Public kindergartens have increased in number to improve the pre-school attendance ratio, while pre-school educational materials have been developed and distributed to enhance the quality of education. Teacher training programs and administrative assistance system have also been set up to lay the groundwork for lifting the kindergarten education to the level of advanced countries. The Education Reform Council established education reform measures in 1997 to provide free preschool education one year prior to formal education. The establishment of the public kindergarten system is underway to assist children of low-income families with kindergarten tuition, allocating funds to improve facilities at kindergartens annexed to primary schools, extending assistance for extended programs, and providing support for teaching materials at private kindergartens.

Primary education in Korea is free and compulsory providing the general rudimentary education necessary in life. Enrollment rate at primary schools is as high as 99.9%. The quantitative expansion of primary education is due to the high public zeal for education and the educational policies of the government. The sudden increase in the number of students and the migration of the rural population into cities has prompted the government to create an education tax in 1982 to finance the expansion and modernization of physical facilities and to improve the socio-economic status of teachers. As a result, the number of students per class dropped to 27.6 in 2008 in busan. Overcrowded schools have been divided into smaller ones and the double shift system of classes has been terminated. The government will continue to strive to improve primary education. With the revision of the regulation that prohibited children under six from entering primary school, even five year olds who are thought to have the ability became eligible to enter school if there is space. In addition, to expand foreign language education, English has been taught as a part of the regular curriculum starting in 1997, one hour per week for third and fourth graders, two hours per week for fifth and sixth grade students. Since 2008, the newly-established Lee administration has been emphasizing the importance of English Education. Starting in 2010, English class hours will be expanded to 2 hours per week for third and fourth graders, and from 2011, 3 hours per week for fifth and sixth grade students.

The purpose of middle schools is to conduct standard secondary education on the basis of primary education. Since 1969 there has been no limitation placed on entrance to middle school and all who wish to enter middle school have been assigned to the school nearest their residence. Free compulsory middle school education began in 1985 in remote island areas and has been expanded to county areas between 1992 and 1994. All cities across the nation have adopted the compulsory education system since 2002 which spread nationwide from 2004.

High school education is mainly aimed at providing secondary and basic advanced education based on middle school education. High schools are divided into general high schools, vocational high schools, and others (foreign language, art, and science high schools). Graduates of middle schools or the equivalent may enter high schools. The period of study is three years and students bear the expenses of education. Admission into high school used to be based on the grades of a selection examination, but according to the revision of the education law in 1995, there are various ways of selection, such as recognition of the "school activities records" where the three-year life of middle school students is recorded as well as the entrance test score; subsequently, the choice accorded to students has broadened since 1996. General high schools provide regular high school education. Students choose their major areas in their 11th grade. Depending on their aptitude and interests, humanities/social studies, sciences, or vocational training are offered as options. Most, however, choose to enter fields that would allow them to enter college. Vocational high schools offer general secondary education and specialized courses including those in the fields of agriculture, industry, commerce, fisheries/maritime, and home economics. The governments is striving to devise measures to develop and support vocational high schools and to expand their roles as industry has become very scientific and highly sophisticated. Focus of education was placed on offering a variety of on-site education services to train skilled personnel that can adapt to the rapidly changing industrialization and globalization phenomena in the 1980s. Foreign language high schools, science high schools, and art high schools were established to train promising students in the respective fields. With active government assistance, such schools are able to identify gifted students at an early period to maximize the students' potentials.

Special education is provided to disabled students at the kindergarten, primary school, middle school, and high school levels. There are 13 special schools with a total enrollment of 252 severely disabled children in Busan. In the case of lesser impediments, children are provided education in classes for special needs students at regular schools. Special school teachers are recruited and trained through a qualifying examination in special education and through supplementary in-service training for teachers. Special education teachers are trained through four routes: qualification tests, training of current teachers, certificates for undergraduates of four-year special education programs, and special education degree holders at the graduate level. Training for special education teachers is provided at national universities, private universities, special education graduate schools and education graduate schools. Special education is based on the Act on Primary and Secondary School Education and the Special Education Promotion Act. The latter law was enacted in 1977 and completely revised and promulgated in 1994. It emphasizes the introduction of a variety of teaching methods and guarantees the right to attend school for children with disabilities. Also, the establishment of the National Institute for Special Education in 1994, which is responsible for conducting research and experimentation, distributing information on special education, developing and supplying teaching and learning materials, and training teachers for the disabled, has made it possible to improve the quality of special education.