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Education is the nation

Published: 18 Jul. 2025, 09:23

Choi Jin-seok

The author is a Principal of the Saemal Saemomjit School

“More important than building a hundred temples is cultivating a single monk,” said the revered Buddhist monk Tanheo. His words reflect a deeper truth: Education fundamentally determines the level and future of every society.

When Buddhism first arrived in China during the Later Han dynasty, it was not properly understood. Chinese thinkers interpreted Buddhist teachings through their own intellectual frameworks, resulting in geyi Buddhism — a distorted understanding of the faith. It was only in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with the arrival of the Indian monk Kumarajiva and his disciples Sengzhao and Daosheng, that Buddhism began to be grasped in its original philosophical form. Their work laid the foundation for Chinese Buddhism. Without them, there would be no Huayan, Tiantai, or Chan traditions—and by extension, no Neo-Confucianism or Yangming philosophy.

Stacks of discarded test prep books fill the parking lot of a cram school in Seoul on November 14, 2024, the day of the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test. In Korea, countless books used solely for the college entrance exam are routinely thrown away once the test is over. [NEWS1]

Education, in other words, is transformative. Immanuel Kant believed that human beings become truly human only through education. A nation filled with educated people thrives. One without such people stagnates. The quantity of education defines a country’s scale. The quality of education defines its character.

Every functioning state stands on two pillars: defense and taxation. Yet when it comes to actual governance, two gears turn the machinery — politics and education. Aristotle was right in saying that “education is the foundation of the state.” I go one step further: Education is the state. It determines everything. When political dysfunction is visible, the deeper failure is often educational.

All living beings are driven by a desire to flourish. Development is this drive expressed over time, and innovation is its method. At the heart of innovation lies education.

A nighttime view of the main gate of Seoul National University in Sillim-dong, Gwanak District, southern Seoul. The new administration is considering a plan to establish the equivalent of “10 Seoul National Universities” across the country to promote balanced regional development. [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

From Syngman Rhee to Kim Dae-jung, Korea achieved rapid, linear development through a “follower model.” In such a system, follower-type education was sufficient. But now, having reached the upper limits of that trajectory, Korea must transition to a leader-type innovation model. Without a corresponding shift in education, the country risks stagnation or decline. As Nietzsche warned, “The snake that cannot shed its skin must die.” The same is true of a society’s mindset.

A recent article asked whether Korea could emulate China’s Tsinghua University. The real question is whether Korea can emulate China’s educational reform at large. Korea now finds itself watching China instead of leading. This reversal is the result of falling behind in educational innovation.

Misunderstanding the principle that “education is the nation” leads to misguided policies like “creating 10 Seoul National Universities.” Average talent cannot open the future. It takes the exceptional—prodigies, even geniuses. What Korea urgently needs is not ten decent universities, but one institution ten times better than Seoul National University. The current educational framework, which emphasizes consensus and social warmth over bold individualism, has produced only comfortable mediocrity.

In pursuit of equity, Korea froze tuition fees. In pursuit of regional balance, it proposed spreading Seoul National University across the country. But innovation does not come from policy symmetry. It comes from a strong educational philosophy.

Education should not serve other policy goals. It is not a tool to ease inequality or promote balance. Education must be honored as the core task of nurturing the very individuals who can fulfill such goals.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks after meeting with students at Ajou University in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on May 26, when he was the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Korea’s deepening social division, political conflict, and populism are not political accidents. They are the consequences of neglecting education. If we want to produce outstanding individuals, we must first provide an education system designed to cultivate them.

Other countries are doing this. Why aren’t we? Why don’t we want a strong nation? Or is it that we still don’t know what a nation truly is — and have become mere spectators in our own home?

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.