Parents who send their kids to private kindergartens called on Monday for improvements to preschool education during a meeting with Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae.

A ministry official said the parents urged Minister Yoo to increase the number of state-run or public kindergartens as a fundamental solution to the ongoing corruption scandal involving private preschools.

The parents also urged the ministry and education bureaus to pay greater attention to children's meals as in what and how they are served.

Minister Yoo, who also serves as deputy prime minister for social affairs, agreed on the need to increase the number of public kindergartens but she promised alternative measures as the task is difficult to complete in one go.

The parents reportedly proposed ways to guarantee their participation in the operation of private kindergartens and ways to achieve transparency in accounting and audits.

A ministry official said the opinions gathered will be reflected in comprehensive government measures expected to be announced this week. 

The meeting comes as revelations of corruption involving preschool owners such as accounting fraud and budget misuse have sparked public outrage in South Korea in recent days.