The Importance And Competitiveness Of Education In South Korea

A little more than three years ago, I was in Korea. I was a normal middle schooler, and a daughter of a middle class reporter father. Everyday was a competition for students, trying to get the best score to go to the best college possible. As a result, I spent every single minute of my free time in after school academies. I was seeking change in this frustrating life, perhaps a more enjoyable life where rather than just

Although China’s influence over Korea has waned severely since the dynastic years we find the Confucian system of virtues and behaviors, China’s chief export from that time, still very much alive. Korea highly values the extended family, education, personal discipline and public order. In South Korea Confucian temples continue to be maintained throughout the country. The tenets of Confucianism are seen as antidotes to social ills and therefore education is thought of as a means of building character, not simply of intellectual formation. The values of Confucianism are promulgated throughout Korea in places as diverse as school, the office and the home. Television programs often portray Confucian merits such as filial piety and harmony. However

“Each household pays 288.000 Won (about 250 USD monthly), which is about 8 percent of household income, for their children’s private tutoring. As a whole, Korea spends about 2.2 percent of GDP on private tutoring.” (Nakamura 43). The aspiring universities are usually located in the capital and big cities, which are the center of business trading and academic training. It is not surprised when lots of parents want their children to study and achieve academically in there. For instance, in South Korea, the capital Seoul has been a place for people who wanted to work in academia or government. “Many parents in rural areas or small cities have been sending their children to schools in bigger towns or large cities. As people, especially younger generations, move to Seoul to study or work and then settle in/near Seoul metropolitan area, rural areas are becoming “empty nests.” Schools in rural parts of Korea are now being closed in rural parts of Korea due to an extremely low number (or none) of school-age students; meanwhile, many schools in Seoul and vicinity are overcrowded.” (Nakamura 33). After graduating, students will also face with a tight contest of getting a good job with the limited number of positions. One of the qualifications required by most employers is English proficiency, which is evaluated through some exams such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System), TOEIC (Test of English for

Ripley’s first argument is built around comparing United States and South Korea’s academic achievements. With the help of Jenny, “who moved to America from South Korea with her family in 2011” (para 2), Ripley compared the two schools according to these academic and sports performances. The first difference Jenny notices is that Sports are getting way too much attention in comparison with South Korean School. The school she attended in the United States had and 6 tennis courts, lush grass fields and an athletic Hall of Fame (para 2).

Students in South Korea take their education very seriously. Eric described their school system as a “pressure cooker”. “rigor mattered, koreans understood that mastering difficult academic content was important. They didn’t take shortcuts.”(pg.116) These students have to compete with each other in order to get accepted into the most prestigious colleges. Not only do students attend school from seven in the morning to three in the afternoon, they also have to attend hagwons which are private tutors after school. They study at least twelve hours a day to make sure they get the best grades.

Jun-sang lived a better quality life than most North Koreans. His family lived in a freestanding house with a garden to grow vegetables. In addition, the family also owned five wooden wardrobes containing quality clothing and quilts from Japan. In North Korea, a household with more wardrobes meant the family was prosperous. Jun-sang’s family possessed more appliances than their neighbors. These appliances included: a television, sewing machine, electric fan, and a refrigerator. Jun-sang had a pet dog which was unusual in North Korea. Dogs served the purpose as a meal rather than a companion. Although Jun-sang’s family was prosperous, they were lumped into the hostile class because they were Japanese Korean. There was also a constant fear within Jun--sang that his family would be sent to the gulag. Jun-sang’s father is not hesitant to beat his children with a stick if he thinks it will instill fear in his children to get higher scores in school (Demick, 18). high goals of attending the most prestigious university (Kim Il-sung Uni) are the main goal of Jun-sang and his father (Demick, 18). Rigorous studies and career oriented path leaves no time for girls or dating (Demick, 19). Both of Jun-sang’s parents were born in Japan (Demick, 32). They were part of “a cross section of Korean society” made up of people who were forced to support Japan in war efforts, high ranking people that have gone there to study, or immigration workers (Demick, 32). Propaganda stirred up an image

Under this misconception and “model minority” stereotype pressure, some Korean-Identified students have to downplay even hide their real academic work because they not doing enough. In this group, they always maintain that pecuniary condition and social-class status is the most basic theory to influence the

The division between the test scores of American and Asian high school students has recently become a matter of many debates in many circles. Often the conclusion is that the American system is not fulfilling its role of making competent citizens, and that America will soon be unable to compete in the global economic market. Before I discuss the differences between Western and Eastern attitudes towards education that feed this test score split, I will review an important factor that is often overlooked in these statistics. The school systems of Japan and Korea do not attempt to educate the entire population of the country. Instead, only the most successful grammar school students are chosen to go on to higher education. In contrast, America makes education beyond grammar school not only available but required. Therefore, while the test scores represent all of American children, they only represent a select number of Asian students.

Upon her arrival to America, Suki Kim realize early on the difference in culture. Unlike South Korea, students did not bow to teachers in America. Students did

The 2015-2016 school year finds the United States ranked at 14th place on a global education scale, and South Korea currently holds the first place spot. In 2012, when this study was last conducted, South Korea was ranked second in the world. It was then when the South Korean government made a strong push introduce English, a foreign language into the core curriculum (mbctimes.com.). However, in the United

Gender roles in Korea were based on a hierarchy in which men and the elderly were at the top. Women were there to serve the men as they provided for the family, “girls had to be closer to the kitchen to serve the men.” According to Jid Lee’s grandmother “this hierarchy was a perfect system for a Korean family, who success was dependent on the men’s strength and intelligence.” However, as the Americans had more of a presence in Korea, they brought over contemporary ideas that went into direct conflict with those ideologies. Jid Lee went against those traditional values. She talked back to her father and brothers. She questioned why women were treated the way they were. Her actions were influenced by reading Western novels. In the chapter “Love in a Dust Storm” she did not do the dishes and was reading Jane Eyre, her mother came back and was furious. Her mother yelled “Once you die you’ll be able to sit on your ass in heaven and red! But until then, you’ve got to do your job! You’ve got to know your place in this house, which is the kitchen.” Thus, caused a tension in the family. Additionally, with the change in gender roles, education began to change. “Koreans built an educational system designed around absorbing information, a system of methods that tested one’s ability to memorize, regurgitate, and apply

In fact, the pursuit of bureaucratic excellence inspires Shao-Yu to venture to the capital to take part in the government-administered tests. Many characters allude to the high status offered by performing well which, when put next to the original commentaries in the Analects, reveal the enduring importance of knowledge and learnedness in Korean culture.

South Korea’s social structure revolves around the individual’s professional, family, and education background. People who have attained prestigious job titles, graduated from a first-rate university, or was born into an influential family are placed very high on the social structure. People who do not have a respectable education background are usually on the bottom of the status pole; however, it is possible for social mobility. The South Korean education system is similar to the one in the United States. Even though the years of attendance might be dissimilar from the US, the education system still consists of an elementary, middle, and high school. After graduating from high school, most students apply and attend universities from all across the nation.

Parent’s role in South Korea is taking care of their children until they get married. Children usually live with their parents until they are married, even if they are full grown adults. Parents are desperate attempt to give children an educational advantage, and grant them explore to a globalized worldview (in contrast with Korea's strictly homogenous culture and community), children are often sent to boarding schools abroad usually to the U.S., Canada and Australia, and family members strangely separated for many years.

In Korea, there are as countless single-sex schools as co-ed schools. But, in Korea, co-ed schools are a extra preferable form of education above single-sex schools because they rise competitiveness, fairness, and sociability. Two of my origins do prop my locale as one more one is impartial and one is opposed. Additionally, my real-life experiences of co-ed schools and single-sex schools in Korea will give prop that co-ed schools are preferable.