Education Reform TF – Problems and Policy Directions for Improving Korean Education
Institute for Future Strategy, Seoul National University — Education Reform Task Force
“Challenges and Reform Directions in Korean Education”
The Education Reform Task Force Project, supported by the Institute for Future Strategy (IFS) at Seoul National University, aims to diagnose the root causes of Korea’s educational problems and propose directions for meaningful and sustainable reform. This project evaluates the current state of Korean education and explores pathways toward a forward-looking, future-oriented, and resilient educational system through university education reform and innovation in university admissions.
Korea’s high enthusiasm for education has long been recognized as a driving force behind the nation’s rapid industrialization and democratization. However, the Korean education system today faces multiple structural challenges. First, school education often fails to nurture creative and independent thinkers. Second, the university entrance system exerts overwhelming influence on primary and secondary education, fueling private education costs and deepening educational inequality.
To address these challenges, the study proposes several reform measures. For university education, it recommends introducing open-ended, problem-based learning to stimulate creativity; expanding integrated, competency-based courses that cultivate critical and practical skills; and developing interdisciplinary courses using library-based learning platforms to encourage cross-disciplinary knowledge integration.
For university admissions reform, the study suggests redefining the values and expectations surrounding education and entrance examinations, encouraging student mobility through transfer opportunities, strengthening graduate education, and reviewing proportionate competition-based selection systems. It also recommends introducing absolute evaluation methods focusing on written and essay-based assessments in both school grades and national examinations to create a fairer, more holistic assessment framework.
Keywords:
Education reform, university education, university admissions innovation, creativity education, integrated courses, interdisciplinary learning, absolute evaluation, sustainable education
