reform, aims to contribute to future reforms in education policies and
practices, to ensure future needs are met.
Background
The Republic of Korea occupies the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula,
which is roughly 1,030 kilometres (km) long and is 175 km wide at its narrowest
point. It is known as a country with almost no natural resources of monetary
value, and its economy is driven primarily by manufacturing and exports. In
2013, the nation’s GDP was 1.1975 trillion United States dollars (International
Monetary Fund, 2014). The Republic of Korea has a population of 49.3 million
(International Organization for Migration, 2013).
Korea has a 5,000-year-old history. The attitudes and humanitarianism of
classical scholars are highly valued and are deeply embedded in society
(Ministry of Education, 2014). The Republic of Korea was established in 1948,
but the subsequent ‘Korean War’ left the country in ruins. The nation overcame
the despair, however, and rapidly grew, achieving the ‘Han River Miracle’ in the
1970s (Ministry of Education, 2014). In the 1980s, the economy continued to
grow rapidly, and the Republic of Korea was one of the four ‘Asian Dragons’,
with the nation developing into a prominent player in the global economy
(Ministry of Education, 2014).
Education in the Republic of Korea
Koreans believe that education has contributed significantly to the country’s
rapid and dramatic national development. The national passion for, and
investment in education is considered a driving force for the economy. The
government guaranteed the right to quality education for all through steady
investment in education (Ministry of Education, 2014). Effective education
policies resulted in the provision of the human resources and technology
necessary for economic growth.
A historical overview of Korean education over the past 60 years reveals that
the expansion of educational opportunities is one of its greatest achievements
(Lee, et al., 2010). An egalitarian approach has been taken in expanding access
to education. As a result of this expansion, the Korean literacy rate is currently
97.8 per cent, up from 22 per cent in 1945 (Lee et al., 2010). The college
enrolment rate is 71 per cent, considerably higher than the average rate for
OECD members, which is 56 per cent (Lee et al., 2010).