Overview of Korean Educational System
For the final paper, students as an individual will pick one nation, (for me, I chose Korea to discuss) and using the library or web resources provided in class, create an overview of that nation’s educational system, and discuss its implications for American education. To avoid too much duplication, students are requested to rank-order three preferences of countries and topics. Although the instructor will try to grant everyone their preferred assignment, you may be asked to work on one of your alternate choices, if one set of countries or one topic is oversubscribed. For the final paper, the following elements are expected to be included.
Brief socio-geographic information (e.g., location, population, economy, etc.)
Brief historical and political background and its impact on the educational system (e.g., colonial experience, type of government, etc.)
General description of the education system (e.g., 6-3-3-4 ladder system, school enrollment rates by levels of education, etc.)
Detailed description of unique features of the education system that you are most interested in (e.g., high-stakes tests, school choice, standardization, privatization, centralization, teacher education, distribution of school resources, etc.)
Impacts of the institutional features of education on the lives and educational outcomes of children.
Discussion on implications for American education
Note that you should include at least 10 academic journal articles for your references. The final paper must be double-spaced, 12 point font, with standard margins (i.e., 1 inch margin for top, bottom, left, and right), and free of grammatical and typographic errors. Please refer to the APA Style Guide (6th edition) or the ASA Style Guide for information on attribution of quotes, plagiarism and appropriate use of assistance in preparing the essay.
Overview of the Korean Education System
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Socio-Geographic Information
South Korea, whose official name is the Republic of Korea, is situated in East Asia. It borders North Korea to its north, a highly militarized border (Bleiker, 2019). South Korea borders the Yellow Sea to the West. The Korea Strait separates the country from the Tsushima island in Japan to the southeastern side. The country's terrain is mostly mountainous and therefore not arable. The lowlands only occupy 30% of the total land in South Korea (Kim J et al., 2019). Based on the geographical appearance, the country can be grouped into four regions. The western region is made up of coastal plains that are broad, rolling hills, and river basins, while the eastern side is composed of mountains and narrow coastal plains (Kim J et al., 2019). Mountains and valleys make up the southwestern region, and the southeastern region contains the broad basin of the Nakdong River.
South Korea has more than three thousand islands, most uninhabited. It has two volcanic islands, Cheju and Ullung. Cheju is located on the southern side of the peninsula, while Ullung is approximately 140 km east of the mainland in the east sea. Mount Halla, an extinct volcanic mountain on Cheju Island, is the highest peak in South Korea at 6283 feet (Kim J et al., 2019). The climate can be described as cold and dry during winter, while the summers are hot and humid.
The population of South Korea is estimated to be 51,672,000 as of 2021 by the National Statistical Office (Kim J et al., 2019). It is ranked third of the most densely populated countries in the world. Seoul's capital city contains more than half of the country's population and is the world's second-largest metropolitan. Most people reside in urban centers, owing to the migration from rural areas in the 1970s to 1980s (Kim J et al., 2019). Other major cities include Busan, Gwangju, Ulsan, Incheon, Daegu, and Daejeon. Most of the uninhabited land is used for other purposes such as farming. The country recorded more deaths than births in 2020, resulting in a decrease in population (Kim J et al., 2019). Furthermore, the working-age population and fertility rate have continued to decline.
South Korea is a developed country, ranking as the fourth-largest economy in Asia and tenth in the world based on its nominal GDP. It became a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1996 and is the most industrialized member of OECD (Kim J et al., 2019). The country invested heavily in education and transformed illiteracy among its people to become an internationally recognized technology hub. The economy benefits from the well-educated and highly skilled population, with most people achieving tertiary education (Bak, 2019). The country is one of the most educated globally and boasts of several companies such as Samsung and LG electronics.
Historical and Political Background and Its Impact on the Educational System
During the Japanese rule in Korea between 1910 and 1945, the Botong School was established by the Japanese colonialists. It consisted of three to four years of primary education, four years of secondary education, two to three years of vocational studies, and tertiary education (Kwon et al., 2017). The subjects included Susin, Korean, Hanja, Japanese, and Arithmetic. Korea was liberated from Japanese colonialism in 1945, and the Korean government began discussions on the future of education. The focus was to establish democratic education by promoting education for all. Some of the established policies included educating adults to increase literacy, re-training teachers, restoring the Korean language for technical communication, and expanding educational institutions.
In 1948, Korea was divided into two political divides; North Korea and South Korea. Syngman Rhee, an opponent of communism, was elected as the first president of South Korea (Republic of Korea). In 1950, the Korean War started after South Korea invaded North Korea and continued until 1953, causing the deaths of many citizens from both sides (Kim J et al., 2019). Significant cities and school buildings also faced severe destruction during the war. South Korea, therefore, had to build a nation from scratch. The then Minister of Education ordered the re-opening of schools, a move that reflected the nation's dedication to education. In the 1950s, the country achieved universal elementary education despite the impact of the Korean war.
A demonstration and uprising by students forced Syngman Rhee to resign from office as the President. For thirteen months after his resignation, South Korea was politically unstable. Park Chung-Hee led the military to a coup d’état in 1961 and was elected as the President in 1963. During the 1960s, the country experienced significant milestones in secondary education. They promoted equalization of education to reduce the entry competition into prestigious middle and high schools (Lee et al., 2012). Adult literacy was at 87.6% by 1970 and 93% by the late 1980s. During the tenure of General Chun Doo-hwan from 1980, the government improved the higher education system to make it fairer and increase opportunities for its citizens (Kim M et al., 2018).
In the 2000s, most people had obtained a college degree, causing an influx of qualified people in the job market. As the rate of university graduates continued to rise, unemployment increased. Education reforms by the government encouraged people to consider vocational occupations as a college degree no longer guaranteed a career like before (Kim M et al., 2018). South Korea encourages its youth to put off higher education until later and focus on gaining skills for employment.
Description of the Education System
The education system in South Korea involves a 6-3-3-4 program; six yea...