



South Korea will begin the new school year with online classes on April 9 following repeated delays due to the novel coronavirus, the prime minister said Tuesday.







The unprecedented move to introduce online classes will be applied step by step to schools, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said, without elaborating.







The new school year here usually starts in March, but the country has postponed it three times by five weeks to this coming Monday over concerns that schools are vulnerable to cluster infections of COVID-19.







"The government judged that it is reasonable to begin the new school year step by step starting on April 9 to take into account preparation situations and help students adapt (to online classes)," Chung said at a pan-government meeting on virus responses.







Calling for thorough preparations, the prime minister said all students should be granted computer access and connection to the internet.







Chung also hinted at the possibility that the state college entrance exam set for Nov. 19 will be delayed. (Yonhap)

