As the Korean proverb goes: “Education is a plan that spans one hundred years.” This saying implies that education is a cornerstone for national and social development, which inevitably expands to the indefinite future. Despite this, policies by the Ministry of Education (MOE) are apt to change along with the inauguration of each new administration, devoid of long-term planning and stability. Understandably, many question if the status of frequent education reform is necessary for a changing society or a mere means of marketing by the new MOE. In line with this controversy, The Granite Tower (GT) examines the causes and effects of the new education reform starting in 2023, closely weighing the effectiveness of this wind of change regarding the March issue.

During a press conference on January 5, 2023, Lee Jun Ho, the Minister of Education, declared that “2023 would be the founding year for a qualified education reform.” Commencing the change with firm ambitions, the MOE released the 2023 schemes that accompany four major entities: students, families, local communities, and industries. Each section embarks on meticulous policies; for instance, in terms of local communities, the MOE promised to make school facilities available for public use. Some of these policies were experimentally implemented in model schools in 2022, and in 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration is attempting to extend the reformations nationwide.

Changes at Korea University

This Korean education reform has brought both subtle and obvious changes to universities, particularly in regard to industry connections. The MOE has emphasized learner-centered education with the aim to produce an educated population that can respond more flexibly to social changes. Korea University (KU) has not been an exception in experiencing the effects of this reform.

The first change in KU has been to establish a new department in the College of Engineering, the Department of Smart Mobility, which has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Motor Company. It will operate as a specialized, student-orientated department that offers five-year joint bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Full scholarships will be provided to all students for five years and, after graduation, they are guaranteed positions in research and development (R&D) teams at Hyundai Motor Company. Outstanding students will also be supported to go to doctoral programs abroad. According to the Hyundai Motor Group Newsroom, the President of Hyundai Motor Company Jang Jae-hoon announced that he would provide unstinting support to educate globally renowned engineering leaders based on cooperation with KU.

Additionally, the School of Psychology signed an MOU with the Seoul Mental Health Welfare Center (SMHWC) on August 4, 2022. This MOU was signed to provide professional services that include programs for rehabilitating young people and improving mental health awareness. This cognitive rehabilitation program would provide support and treatment for young people experiencing psychosis for the first time, which is in line with the government’s education reform in terms of providing students with highly personalized education. According to a press release from KU, the Dean of the School of Psychology Choi Kee Hong stated that the Department of Psychology will be able to contribute to the promotion of mental health for local community members and support future talent as well.

KU Law School also introduced a course called “Advanced Program for Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Law” in the fall semester of 2022. The development of information and communications technology (ICT), including the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI, has led to calls for significant changes to the legal system. Accordingly, KU Law School has started to run the Evolving Society Evolving Law (ESEL) lecture, which is an open lecture on new legal issues in modern society. The Advanced Program for Data and AI Law course is part of the ESEL lecture, and it focuses on educating professionals on all legal issues related to data-driven digital transformation.

The 2023 Education Reform

The President Yoon administration has announced plans to introduce educational changes across the entire education spectrum, from preschools to lifelong education, with the goal to reshape student experiences, domestic education, local coexistence, and industries. One of the major policies for domestic education includes adopting Neulbom as an extracurricular activity for elementary schools. Similar to its dual meaning in Korean (“always spring” and “always nurturing”), this policy is designed to reduce the educational disparity between households. To guarantee the safety of the students from two-income families and enhance the quality of public education, children will be able to stay at school until 8:00 P.M. on weekdays. These Neulbom schools will provide emotional support for children who would otherwise have to stay at home alone with no parental support. After selecting 200 model schools to implement the policy in January, the MOE declared its plans to establish it nationwide in 2025.

In terms of local and student-focused policies, the high school credit system (Gogyeohakjeom in Korean) is anticipated to lead to a particularly significant change in education. This system, which was first promoted by former President Moon Jae-in in 2018, allows students to select the subjects they want and is required to take courses based on credits. Students will be able to take elective courses at different schools online and offline, and local universities and research institutes will be able to offer students a customized education rather than forcing them to take courses that do not match their interests.

The MOE insists that it is vital to keep up with state-of-the-art ICT, stressing the particular importance of AI. With the emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, computer skills have become necessary, and the MOE seems to be well aware of this requirement. To improve the digital adaptation skills of adolescents, digital tutors will be assigned to each school (apart from Neolbom schools). Introducing the tutors in digitally underprivileged locals initially, the MOE will host a software (SW) and AI camp. According to the MOE’s 2023 Education Reform report, they also promise to “support individual learning using information technology (IT) skills in order to enhance basic academic skills.”

Reasons for the Reform

Given the rapid changes facing Korean society, the government’s reform of public educational institutions and universities is not surprising. The most notable issue is the decrease in the number of elementary school students. According to a 2022 study by the Statistical Office, the number of elementary school students in 2026 is estimated to be about 2.2 million, a decrease of about 17.5 percent from 2.67 million in 2021. On October 31, 2022, the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) calculated the “Elementary School Downsizing Index” by predicting the number of enrolled students to see how many elementary schools will be at risk of closing or merging in 2025 compared to 2022. As a result, it was predicted that, by 2025, 1657 schools, or 26.3 percent of all elementary schools nationwide, would be in the high-risk group, i.e., likely to close or merge with another school if no measures are taken to attract students. But more importantly, when an elementary school is lost, it will cause serious harm to the surrounding community, gradually creating an inaccessible environment for the younger generation.

Thus, to solve the problem of the decreasing number of children, the government has tried to take a more macroscopic approach, which has resulted in the expansion of care education. Neulbom classes will alleviate the burden of working parents by providing teachers who care for their students’ mental health issues. The classes will also strengthen protection measures for those who report school violence, creating a truly “caring” support system. Overall, the goal of the national government is to solve the low birth rate by providing educational welfare and creating a safer educational environment.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has also undoubtedly influenced the proposed education reform. According to the World Economic Forum, AI will displace about 85 million jobs in 26 countries by 2025 but will create 97 million new jobs. Due to the rapid pace of digital transformation and the increase in demand for workers in related industries, the need to produce experts who understand and utilize AI is rapidly increasing. According to Professor Kim Hyeoncheol (Department of Computer Science and Engineering), the knowledge and capacity to understand and design a new world in which everything is created on top of digital infrastructure is crucial for the development of good citizenship and reliable professionals. Thus, he emphasizes the need for AI and information education because they are the foundation for these skills and knowledge. Professor Kim believes that education on AI’s social impact and ethical issues is also needed so that people can be prepared for problems related to reliability, fairness, and safety.

In addition, the poor infrastructure in local areas is also a major factor that has encouraged the structural reform of universities. Although the number of students who feel the need to go to universities has decreased due to the increase in online schools and extended colleges, the reality of rampant insolvent universities in local areas should not be ignored. The decrease in the school-age population, the increase in the population density in the capital area, and poor university management, including cases of corruption, have led to a crisis for many local universities. At the first National Assembly Future Forum hosted by the National Assembly Futures Institute, Park Byeong-seok, speaker of the National Assembly, said that this crisis could lead to the disappearance of a region and, if local universities are closed, local culture would be at risk and the socio-economic divide between areas in Korea would be aggravated. The government’s policies in response to this, such as promoting financial investment to enhance the competitiveness of local universities, need to be effective.

Education Reform Sparking Controversy

Despite the government’s ambition for revolutionizing education, still, there are many doubtful Since some of the policies seek to transform the entire education system, some resistance has arisen among students, teachers, and parents. For example, the newly introduced extracurricular activities have received backlash. According to the Korean Economy, many parents and students are concerned that keeping children at school until 8:00 P.M. in the Neulbom system could be child abuse. A parent surnamed Han stated that “My child feels stressed and oppressed when staying late at school” because students have to spend most of their time inside small, enclosed classrooms. Teachers at schools offering extracurricular care are also worried about their welfare, given that they have to stay until late at night. Ko Na Yeun, who currently works as a caring school teacher at Yeomchang Elementary School, explained that “So far, changes in policies have required sacrifice on the teachers’ part rather than providing us with a systematic method to follow. I hope the government does not repeat this precedent.” Public discourse may be needed for the successful implementation of Neulbom, she added. Thus, upcoming education policies should also consider the practicality for meticulous application in the field.

In addition, the reduction in the number of required core subjects in the curriculum has received scrutiny. The newly proposed credit system in high school, Gogyeohakjeom, has reduced the importance of Korean, mathematics, and English, which are entitled as the core subjects in Korean education. As reported by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) report “Education at a Glance,” at 34 percent, South Korea was below the OECD average (40 percent) in terms of the number of hours that the three core subjects are taught. In addition, voices from the education field should never be neglected for effective education reform. Some professors argue that core subjects need to be strengthened to promote creative talent because neglecting basic subjects is likely to lead to a decline in academic performance. In line with this, Hwawon Middle School teacher Moon Hyun Sun stated that “most teachers believe this credit system is an impetuous decision because problems such as asking students to decide their future too early and accelerating the competition between peers based on grading systems have not been resolved yet.”

Moreover, some question the quality of AI-based extracurricular activities that require a dramatic increase in the number of AI tutors. Although the MOE aims to dispatch AI tutors nationwide by 2025, it is believed that it will be nearly impossible to produce the needed number in time. During an interview with the Seoul Economy, Minister Lee also mentioned that “Teachers are not yet sufficiently trained to proficiently educate students about AI.” This is likely to encourage students to increasingly rely on private education, widening the educational gap between students. Teachers have expressed similar opinions to Minister Lee. Lee Jin Suk, head of Miraejeongbo, a company that offers computer-related extracurricular activities, also stresses the lack of trained personnel among regular teachers. “When AI classes are conducted in the regular curriculum, the effectiveness may be questionable due to the lack of quality and the dependence on private education will only increase.” Thus, the decision to implement this system in four years may be too hasty to ensure quality AI education.

Overcoming the Flaws

Moon stated that “Most students and teachers have been burdened by these changes because most of them are still pretty vague.” Then what should be done to overcome the drawbacks and maximize the advantages of this education reform? Most importantly, the education system should not be at the mercy of political ideology. In other words, the education system should not get swept up in inter-party conflict. According to a 2020 study conducted by the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation, 78 percent of elementary and middle school teachers believed that the process of revising the national curriculum was “politically influenced.” Though it may be impossible to separate education from politics completely, politicians must reconsider whether the decisions they are making are truly for the students. Because schools should be a safe space for diversity and autonomy, education should escape the clutches of political restrictions.

There should also be greater awareness among teachers of their role in this reform. They should understand the potential changes in their roles and maintain an emotional connection with their students. Although AI may outperform human intelligence in the future, it will never outperform humans in terms of creativity, justice, or emotional intelligence. Teachers are essential in this respect in education, thus they must focus on guiding students by making emotional connections. Due to the development of information networks such as the Internet and smart devices, students are becoming active learners, and their motivation to study is considered a much more important factor in learning compared to the past. Accordingly, teachers have become guides for learning within the classroom rather than just standing at the front and dictating information. Because their roles have changed, effort is needed to interpret and accept the new educational demands. Professor Kim believes that only human teachers will be able to comprehensively judge numerous situational contexts and fulfill the appropriate role of an educator. In other words, the ability to understand social contexts and make judgments about students will become more important.

Lastly, more investment is needed for the development of educational technology. In an interview with Chosunilbo, a parent raising an elementary school child in Gwangju said, “I had high expectations at first, but it was not easy to develop my child’s coding skills using only the classes held at school.” Education was not as detailed as expected in most schools where coding education was provided. Professor Kim believes that there will be a digital divide in the classroom between those who have received AI and information education and those who have not. This divide can later lead directly to a social and economic gap, eventually worsening the polarization of Korean society. Therefore, Professor Kim argues that the digital divide must be addressed at the national level and in public education so that all citizens can be educated equally. Big changes inevitably come at a cost. The government will have to invest more manpower and money to prepare a high-quality curriculum for each school level. Facilities needed for AI education must be expanded across the nation before AI education can be fully established.

With the new education reform being officially announced in January 2023, halting this transformation of the education sector seems impossible. Education is a crucial component of a healthy country because it allows the public to analyze what is in front of them and learn from their mistakes. Because the younger generations are the future, their knowledge is what will drive social changes. Thus, the attention of the public is needed to ensure that the changes are positive, with students being put first. This includes the students of KU as well. Although the entrance exams for KU students for 2023 have ended, close attention must be paid to the major changes occurring within the university. The government anticipates that this reform will improve the Korean education system and ensure that students can receive a high-quality education that keeps up with the changing times.