South Korean Education System and Human Development

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In any society, education of the people is important for the growth and development of the country. As the education level of the population increases, the country grows as a whole toward a large economy. South Korea, for instance, had many events in history that influenced and developed the country to what it is today. In this paper, I will provide a background on the education system of South Korea and show changes that occurred across history. Numbers on human development and government expenditures will further support my argument.

During the Choson Dynasty, the education system was based on Confucian heritage, similar to that of many other Asian countries. In the early stages of Korean Education, many people did not have the privilege to attend any type of school; formal education was only available to the males in the elite class. The educated people had more social prestige and were allowed to skip on military service. State schools had poor quality, however, private academies helped reform the whole education process.

During the late nineteenth centuries, both Koreans and foreign Christian missionaries started massive amounts of private schools. Christian missionaries had a great influence on the spread of Westernization. Korea soon adopted many Western political and social ideas into their own society. This then led to the education opportunities for women. Education for South Korea was forever changed after 1905 when Japan occupied Korea.

Korea was an independent kingdom under Chinese rule for most of the past millennium. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea. After World War II, a republic was formed in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula (South Korea),...

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...milies didn't have the same opportunity. This caused an imbalance in social class with the schools.

South Korea's rapid progress in modernization and economic growth after the Korean War is mainly due to the willingness of individuals to invest in education. When the government makes changes in education policies, it will benefit the citizens. As a result, a better economy can be obtained, which in turn will boost development rates of the country as a whole. It allowed people to have specialized knowledge in more diverse categories such as technology or the sciences. In a way, education is a process of investing in the people of Korea. The better education the people receive, the better employment they will have in the future. As a whole, the Korean government and economy will progress in a positive direction if the importance of education is emphasized.

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