Japanese remains top second-language elective for Korean university hopefuls

Japanese and Hanmun — classical Chinese characters used in premodern Korean texts — remained the most popular second foreign language electives on this year’s College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, with overall preferences showing little change from previous years. According to data released Thursday by the Ministry of Education, about 50,000 students, or roughly 10 percent of all test-takers, chose to sit for a second foreign language on the Nov. 14 exam, with the English section mandator

Dec. 4, 2025

Dongduk Women’s University to go coed by 2029 amid student backlash

Dongduk Women’s University said Wednesday it will open its doors to men in 2029, a decision students have denounced as ignoring the continued need for women-only institutions in a country where gender bias still shapes women’s experiences. The decision follows a recommendation from the school’s Coeducation Discussion Committee, which said Monday it had completed deliberations and concluded the university should transition to a coeducational model. Despite the backlash, the university issued a st

Dec. 3, 2025

How teachers are navigating martial law crisis in classroom

Han Yu-ra, a 32-year-old history teacher in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, vividly remembers the night when then-President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly declared martial law. “As a history teacher, I was taken aback and angry, and thought I must talk about this in class the next day,” said Han, who teaches eighth and ninth graders at Chunghyeon Middle School. She frantically opened her laptop, typing, researching and creating a PowerPoint titled “2024 12.3 Crisis: The Story of Last Night.” She posted

Dec. 2, 2025

Guro Elementary becomes Seoul's first primary school with IB accreditation

Seoul Guro Elementary School has become the first primary school in the capital to earn accreditation for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Thursday. With the certification, the school is now authorized to offer official IB curricula and assessments designed to promote inquiry-based learning. The education office launched an IB advisory and research group in 2022, designating 31 schools to pilot the program. As of this year, 11

Nov. 27, 2025

More vocational high school grads choose college over immediate jobs

Fewer South Korean vocational high school graduates are heading straight into the workforce, as more turn to college in hopes of improving their long-term job prospects. According to a national survey released Tuesday by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute, a record 49.2 percent of vocational high school graduates went on to tertiary education, continuing a five-year rise from 45 percent in 2021. Of those who did not pursue further studies and sought employ

Nov. 26, 2025

Korea opens Jakarta education center to expand Korean-language programs

South Korea’s Education Ministry announced Tuesday that it has opened a Korean education center in Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of broader efforts to support overseas Koreans and attract international students. Korean Education Centers provide lifelong learning programs for Korean nationals overseas, while serving as key hubs for promoting Korean-language education and supporting study-abroad pathways to Korea, the ministry explained. The Jakarta center becomes the 47th such institution worldwide

Nov. 25, 2025

Sookmyung Women's Univ. to launch Korea's first Korean Wave-focused college

Sookmyung Women’s University said Tuesday it will establish a new college dedicated to the study of the Korean Wave in March 2026. The university plans to restructure its Division of Global Convergence — an international-student-only program specializing in Korean language and culture — into the “Hallyu International College,” which it says will be the first higher education program in Korea centered entirely on Hallyu — the Korean word for "the Korean Wave." The new college, open exclusively to

Nov. 25, 2025

9 in 10 university students use AI for study, 6 in 10 worry it’s dulling their thinking: survey

Artificial intelligence has already become central to academic life at South Korean universities, used by the overwhelming majority of students for research and writing. Yet at the same time, many students are expressing concern that it may be weakening their ability to think critically. A 2024 national survey of 726 students at four-year universities, conducted by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training and published in September this year, found that 91.7 percent had

Nov. 25, 2025

More students putting off graduation, choosing universities outside Seoul

A growing number of South Korean university students are postponing graduation, reflecting growing anxiety over entering a weak job market. As of September, more than 9,000 students at nine major regional universities and six leading private universities in Seoul have deferred graduation, according to data released by Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the Democratic Party. The figure is up nearly 50 percent from 2022, when 6,138 students postponed graduation. As many universities have not yet processed applica

Nov. 21, 2025

From student rights to midnight classes, education new political battlefield in Seoul

In an abrupt move Monday evening, conservative members of Seoul Metropolitan Council’s Education Committee introduced and passed a motion to abolish the city’s student rights ordinance. A final vote is due at the council’s general assembly Thursday. This means the ideological clash over student rights in schools is back again — just like last year. A nearly identical bill was passed in 2024, spearheaded by council members from the conservative People Power Party, which holds a majority on the co

Nov. 18, 2025

'Kant took Suneung, too': Test-takers tormented by 18th-century philosopher

“Do you think (Immanuel) Kant knows? That centuries later he is inflicting so much pain on students in an East Asian country? In the Korean, English and electives sections. Do you think Kant knows?” read a post uploaded by a test-taker to Orbi, an online community for college admissions, on Thursday after the annual College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, ended. Immanuel Kant is the 18th-century German philosopher whose work on ethics, metaphysics and human reason fundamentally reshaped mod

Nov. 14, 2025

English section of Suneung deemed tougher than last year: Can you solve these questions?

This year’s English section on the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, was more difficult than last year, according to teachers and education experts. “(The English section) was a bit more difficult than last year’s Suneung and similar to the September mock exam,” said Kim Ye-ryeong, a teacher at Daewon Foreign Language High School, who appeared on the state-run Educational Broadcasting System on Thursday after Suneung ended. Kim noted that while this year’s exam contained no so-called

Nov. 14, 2025

The storm before the calm: A day before Suneung, cheer rallies echo around Korea

On Wednesday morning, epic cheers echoed across high schools in Korea the day before Suneung, the nation’s annual College Scholastic Ability Test. Suneung is a nine-hour exam that is taking place today, bringing the nation to a near-standstill as students sit for the test that will shape their futures. In support, 10th and 11th graders cheered for seniors taking the test the next day. Joongdong High School stands out every year for its powerful, synchronized cheer rallies. The event, which begin

Nov. 13, 2025

Engines stop, markets wait: Korea stands still for Suneung day

The big day is just a few sleeps away — the day for which every Korean student has been preparing for years, sacrificing weekends and fun: Suneung, the College Scholastic Ability Test. With just some 24 hours to go to Thursday’s nationwide exam, experts are urging students to set aside their books and instead focus on sleep, nutrition and calm preparation. Medical experts warn that last-minute cramming does little good and can even hurt performance. “Many students have been studying long hours w

Nov. 11, 2025

S. Korea to foster AI talent across all stages of life

After South Korea scrapped its ambitious plan to introduce artificial intelligence-powered digital textbooks, the government is taking another step to cement its standing as a global AI leader — this time, by investing 1.4 trillion won ($960 million) to nurture AI talent from elementary school to postgraduate researchers. The Education Ministry on Monday announced its first-ever national blueprint titled “AI Talent Development Plan for All,” aimed at strengthening AI capabilities throughout a pe

Nov. 10, 2025