← Education initiatives Research · Education

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education commits to AI literacy programs and teacher training across all schools

RegionSeoul
DateMay 9, 2026
StatusActive
Sourcehttps://www.koreaherald.com/article/10664706
ai-literacyteacher-trainingcurriculumk12seoul

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has committed to integrating AI literacy and ethics education across all city schools in 2026. The programme includes training approximately 1,300 teachers in AI literacy — effectively assigning at least one AI-trained teacher to every school — and expanding AI aptitude tests for students. AI-based real-time interpretation and translation tools will be introduced in 2026 to support diverse student populations. The city has also designed a framework specifying how AI can be taught across social studies, Korean language, and ethics classes, and plans to integrate AI tools into everyday classroom instruction.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office’s programme is a city-level administrative commitment. It is not a binding national curriculum mandate; participation depends on city policy implementation rather than legislative compulsion. No dedicated funding legislation is attached, and there is no defined consequence for schools that do not comply with the guidance.

Who it affects: K-12 students and teachers in Seoul public schools.

What is notably missing: The programme is an administrative commitment, not a binding mandate. There is no dedicated statutory funding mechanism, and the curriculum integration targets are aspirational rather than legally enforced.