Leading Features of Korean Education ― The Roles of Educational Policy for National Development

Korean students have continuously performed well in reading and mathematics in international tests for more than ten years. However, the more critical reviewers both in and outside of Korea have pointed out negative sides of Korean education, such as shadow education, as the main reason behind the consistent high performance. In the mean time, educational experts and policy makers, particularly from developing countries, are interested to learn about the leading features of the Korean educational system and policies that contribute to the "success" of Korean education. Such differing views, namely, a constructive approach to learn positive aspects of the system and a critical approach to focus on its weaknesses should find a better balance for concrete understanding of the national system. Thus, it is essential for academic scholars best versed in Korean education to collectively present the real features of Korean education, to enable readers to construct more neutral and scientific perspectives toward Korean education, particularly in terms of the contributions Korean education has made toward national development.

Josh Sung-Chang Ryoo is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum Studies with the Department of Education, Kookmin University, Korea.

Jae Young Chung is a Professor of Educational Administration at Ewha Womans University.

Hee-sook Lee is a Professor of Educational Administration at Kangnam University.