Childhood memories of playing soccer and baseball during elementary school lunch breaks may soon disappear in Korea, as safety concerns and parental complaints have led one in 20 elementary schools nationwide to ban physical activities outside of class time.
According to data on "Status of Sports Activity Bans at Elementary Schools Nationwide" submitted by the Ministry of Education and regional offices of education to the office of Rep. Chun Ha-ram of the Reform Party on Monday, 312 schools, or 5.04%, of 6,189 elementary schools nationwide prohibit activities such as soccer and baseball outside class hours.
By region, Busan had the highest ratio at 34.65%, with 105 of 303 schools imposing bans, followed by Seoul at 16.69%, with 101 of 605 schools. Under these school rules, students are unable to kick a ball around with friends during breaks or after school.
The main reasons for the bans are safety accidents and complaints. Analysts say schools are preemptively restricting activities because responsibility is unclear when accidents occur and parental complaints continue. Some complaints have reportedly been raised that soccer games can make students who are not good at the sport feel alienated or deprived.
The problem is that this situation on the ground runs counter to the government's policy direction. Starting from the 2028 academic year, the government plans to expand physical activity time for first- and second-grade elementary school students from the current 80 hours over two years to 144 hours. The aim is to increase physical education for basic fitness and health promotion, but even voluntary exercise is being restricted at schools.
The burden of safety concerns and complaints has also led to a contraction of off-campus activities. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's "Status of Field Trip Operations over the Past Three Years," the implementation rate of one-day field trips at Seoul elementary schools plunged to 51.1% (309 schools) in 2025 from 98.8% (598 schools) in 2023, halving in just two years.
School sports days have also become targets of complaints. During a parliamentary question session on the 13th, Rep. Chun told Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung, "Noise complaints about sports days have increased from 77 in 2018 to 350," adding, "According to elementary school teachers, a patrol car came during a sports day and shocked the children."
"Such complaints really need to be endured, and even if police must respond, they should do so after the sports day ends," he said. "Shouldn't we be able to say 'Isn't this excessive?' in response to excessive complaints?"
Chun also stressed to Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin, "Isn't it a bit too much to prohibit soccer during lunch or after school at elementary schools?" He added, "Schools are emerging that tell students to 'do nothing' because of accidents, risks and complaints, and the minister needs to boldly say this should not be allowed."
