Korean School Chronology

Korean school children Japanese occupation

Figure 1.--This Korean class was photographed in 1922. There are several interesting observations here. Note that the children are being taught Japanese. Note the Japanese characters on black board. The language of instruction during the Japanese occupation was Japanese. I am not even sure the children were allowed to speak Korean at school. Note that the teacher is wearing traditional clothes, in fact a Korean-style dress. The children look quite young, about 6-7 years old. The class room is very stark. The students do not have paper or a slte to work with. We do see a couple books to the left. Also notethe strict classroom demeanor. Put your cursor on the image to see the rest of the class.

There are three basic periods in modern history which affect Korean schools. There was the period before the Japanese seized control of Korea (1909). We have no infoirmation on Koren schools during this period. We assume the schools were very traditional. We do not know how many children actually attended school. The next period was the Japanese colonia era (1909-1945). As far as we can tell, the Japanese significantly expanded the school system. Instruction was conducted in Japanese and part of the educational objectives was to supress the Korean lanuage and culture. This was followed by the independence period following World War II (1945). During this period Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union in the north and the United States in the south. Schools in the two areas developed along very different lines. South Korea has a very modern school system with high aschievement levels. The Korean schools have played a role in helping to create one of the most successful economies in the world. We know very little about North Korean schools.

Ancient Korea


Modern Era

Western Christian missionaries founded the first modern schools in Kora. They played a critical role in creating the foundation for a modern educational system. A group from the North Methodist Church led by Henry G. Appenzeller founded the first missionary school inKorea--Paichai Haktang (1886). The following year, a Presbyterian group founded a boys' high school--Kyongshin (1887). A Methodist mission group founded Korea's first school for girls-- Ewha Haktang. Five other missionary schools were founded in major Korean cities in the years following.

Korean Empire (1897-1909)

Korean had a brief period after the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) of independence from China before the Japanese seized control and annexed the country (1909). The Joseon dynasty proclaimed the Korean Empire (1897). King Gojong became Emperor Gojong. This brief era of relative independence saw Korea initiating areange of reforms aimed at moderizing the country. The Imperial regime pursued reforms in the military, economy, property laws, education, and various industries in an attempt to ward off political encroachment fromm Russia, Japan, and France. and the United States. We have very little information on Koren schools during this period. We assume the schools were very traditional. We do not know how many children actually attended school, but it likely at attendance was fauirly limited. We believe that Chistian missionaries founded some schools. Korea was for centuries a Chinese client state which over time exercised varying degrees of independence. The schools that existed in Korea would have been very significantly influenced by Chinese educational standards and methods. Many more mission schools were founded during the short Empire period. A number of wealthy aristocrats witnessing the moderdinaztion of Japan, came to see that Korea needed a modern educatin system. They found a number of private secondary schools. Some of the most important were the boy's schools Posong, Yangjong and Whimoon located in Seoul, Osan and P'yongyang, and the girl's schools Sookmyung, Chinmyong and Dongduck, all situated in Seoul. American Christian missionaries founded the Choson Christian College (Yonsei University) in Seoul (1905) and Soongsil College in P'yongyang (1906).

Japanese Colony (1909-1945)

The rivalry between Russia and Japan sparked the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) which essentially left Japan with free hands to intervene in Manchuria and Korea. Japan moved to annex Korea (1909) and convert it into a colony (1909-45). This ushered in nearly five decades of brutal Japanese rule. Japanese police supressed the March 1st Movement, killing more than 7,000 peaceful demonstrators. The Japanese banned theuse of the Korean language. Instruction was conducted in Japanese and part of the educational objectives was to supress the Korean lanuage and culture. We note mixed classes, a least for primary schools. There seem to have been separate schools for the Japanese who settled in Korea. We have little information on schools during the Japanese occupation. Hopefully our Korean readers will provide some information. While Japanese occupation was brutal bd explotive, they did help build an extensive modern educationsl system. As far as we can tell, the Japanese significantly expanded the school system and significantly increased attendance. Even so, it was still not a modern mass education system. Only about 30 percent of school age children were able to attend school. Rural schools in particular were limited. The schooling available to Koreans was mostly primary level. Only about 5 percent of children continued on tp the secondary school. This was, however, an increase the over pre-Japanse period and one of the highest levels in Asia. Vdry few Koreas pursued university-level studies. Tge brutality of the Japanese and the spression of Korean nationalism has left a bitter taste in Korea. Few Koreans, as a result, are willing to say anything positive avouit the Japanese colonia era. The expansion of the educational system by the Japanese, however, was surely a factor in South Korea's economic success in the post-War era. (The same is true of Taiwan.)

Liberation and Division (1945- )

The Japanese colonial period was followed by the independence period following World War II (1945). During this period Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union in the north and the United States in the south. Schools in the two areas developed along very different lines. The developmednt of a modern school system was delayed by the Korean War (1950-53). Since the War, South Korea has progressed rapidly. South Korea has a very modern school system with high aschievement levels. South Korea today has one of the world's highest literacy rates, an estimated 98 percent. Korean schools (k-12) consistently place far above American schools in international standardized exams, especially for math and science. The Korean schools have played a role in helping to create one of the most successful economies in the world. We know very little about North Korean schools.






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Created: 8:36 PM 11/6/2007
Last updated: 1:18 AM 7/18/2010