Another five years lost on education reform?

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Another five years lost on education reform?

Published: 19 Sep. 2025, 00:01

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Oh Se-jung

The author is a professor emeritus of physics and astronomy and a former president of Seoul National University.

From the presidential campaign onward, criticisms abounded that President Lee Jae Myung’s education pledges were thin. The only notable promise was to create 10 more Seoul National Universities (SNU), but even that was framed as a regional development policy rather than an education reform plan. Hopes that the presidential committee on national agenda planning would supplement weak campaign pledges have proved misplaced. No coherent blueprint has emerged for the government’s five-year education agenda.

President Lee Jae Myung listens to remarks by Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Education Minister Choi Gyo-jin during the 42nd Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Sejong on Sept. 16. [YONHAP]

Tensions surfaced last week when reports said that the presidential office planned to appoint a former private education industry figure as senior secretary for education. Forty-two education groups, including World Without Worries About Private Education, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union and the National Association of Parents for True Education, strongly opposed the move. The nominee had publicly argued for strengthening the College Scholastic Ability Test, rolling back the student record-based admissions system, and favoring the relative evaluation of school records — positions clashing with those of Education Minister Choi Gyo-jin. The prospect of two senior officials in charge of education policy taking opposite stances raised alarms. The presidential office eventually denied the appointment and reset the personnel decision, but the controversy revealed the absence of a clear philosophy on education within the administration.

Representative Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party, fourth from left, along with several former and current presidents of national universities and superintendents of education, holds a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 20, just before the presidential election, to propose the policy of creating “10 Seoul National Universities” for balanced national development. [YONHAP]

Hints about the government’s posture came during President Lee’s press conference marking his first 100 days in office. Asked about admissions policy, he replied that the method of reforming the college entrance system was not of major importance compared to the deeper problem of excessive competition in Korean society. He was correct that the root cause of many problems lies in a hypercompetitive environment where university pedigree determines future social status. Yet this does not erase the reality that admissions are the immediate source of distress for students and parents nationwide. If the structural cause cannot be resolved quickly, does it justify leaving present hardships untouched?

The president also admitted he intentionally refrains from discussing education too openly, fearing endless debates that devolve into ideological battles. His concern is understandable. Since the May 31 education reform of the Kim Young-sam administration three decades ago, no government has delivered fundamental change despite repeated pledges. Education reform yields results well beyond a five-year presidential term, creating little incentive for leaders to push through contentious measures without reaping visible benefits. While governments stalled, Korea’s education problems have only deepened.

Now, however, education reform is no longer a distant goal but a pressing issue. Another five years of delay will have dire consequences for students and for the nation’s future. Mental health is one urgent matter. Korea has one of the highest youth suicide rates among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development member states, with about 800 teenagers taking their lives each year. More than 40 percent of middle and high school students report stress and depression, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s 2025 Youth Statistics. Excessive competition for university admission is undeniably a major driver. Workplace deaths in industry are treated as a grave concern. Should not student suicides under crushing academic pressure be treated with equal seriousness?

The admissions test itself, focused heavily on rote memorization, does little to nurture the creative minds needed in the era of artificial intelligence. Research by Kim Sei-jik, professor of economics at SNU, has linked Korea’s declining growth rate to an education system that produces imitators bound by outdated frameworks. At the same time, spiraling private education costs discourage childbirth, compounding demographic challenges. Leaving such a system intact, despite its corrosive impact on growth and society, borders on dereliction of duty.

Students prepare to take 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test at a high school in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 18. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee has said he is not an education expert and expects institutions like the National Education Commission to deliberate. Deference to experts is preferable to imposing half-baked presidential notions, as seen in the previous administration. But as Lee himself acknowledged, Korea’s education problems stem from deep-seated competition and social polarization. Addressing them requires not only expert discussion but political will and coordinated action across ministries. In the end, presidential leadership is indispensable.

The government must move beyond passive ambiguity. Without a stronger stance from the president, Korea risks another wasted five years on education reform. The cost will not be abstract — it will be borne by today’s students, whose well-being and creativity are critical to the nation’s future.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.