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According to ancient history texts, formal education began during the Three
Kingdoms period (57 BC-AD 668) under the influence of the Chinese educational
system. Higher education in all these kingdoms tended to be focused on the
study of Chinese classics of Confucian orientation. The
institutionalization of the civil service examination in the mid-10th century
set the pattern for educational reform, by directing the role of education
toward preparing young men for public service.
By
the late 14th century, Buddhism gradually declined and so did the central
government. The founders of the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910) turned to
Confucianism as the source of basic principles for national politics, ethics and
social institutions. Education
during the Choson Dynasty was mainly viewed as a means to prepare young
aristocratic men for future public service.
The
waves of Western culture and modernization that reached the coast of the
"Hermit Kingdom," as Korea was known to the West, were powerful enough
to move King Kojong to issue an edict in 1882 upholding education as one of the
"pillars" of the nation and opening the doors of state-operated
schools to citizens of all classes. Yugyong kong-won, Korea's first
school in a modern sense, was established in 1886. It employed
American missionary teachers who taught English with the aid of interpreters.
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Korea's
liberation from Japan in 945 marked a turning point in the history of
education. As the country underwent a transition from totalitarian rule to
democracy, a primary concern was to provide everybody with equal educational
opportunities. The period from 1945 to 1970 witnessed a dramatic expansion
of education. In spite of the widespread destruction and economic
suffering brought about by the Korean War (1950-1953), Korea succeeded in
virtually eliminating illiteracy. Such a rapid expansion was naturally
accompanied by problems, the most serious being a deterioration in the quality
of education. As the 1960s drew to a close, Korea's educators turned their
attention to these problems and several projects were launched to improve the
curricula and the methods of instruction.
There
is an old saying in Korea: "One should never step even on the shadow of his
teacher." This proverb relays the degree of respect traditionally
accorded to teachers. While there have been many changes to the Korean
educational system since its adoption of modern teaching methods, much of the
old tradition remains.
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Information
provided by the Korean Embassy
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