The world has seen the tremendous growth and development of the Korean economy. From a kingdom ravaged by war and internal conflicts, Korea emerged today as one of the world’s highly industrialized country. The changes in the economy have paved the way for other changes in the political, cultural and social arena. Korea has put its name on the map and has become an inspiration to struggling economies here in Asia and the rest of the globe. Moreover, we see the Korean entertainment industry bloom. Korean dramas and movies are reaching distant shores and gaining international acclaim. Korean multinationals such as Hyundai, Kia, Samsung and LG are now major players in the international market. Truly, South Korea is an epitome of an advance economy and society.
However, the Korean success story also brings forth several problems. One of these is the deterioration of the Korean culture and traditions. As Korea embrace modernity it has neglected its culture. The Korean social make-up is also changing. One of the biggest issues now in Korea is the changes in the family structure and its impact on Korea’s youth particularly in their education.
Let me discuss some of the changes in the Korean family. Korea, a country nestled in between China and Japan has a long and colorful history. Its neighbors played an important role in shaping the Korean culture and society. Like its neighbors, the Korean society values social relationships especially those that can be found inside the Korean home. The Korean family is the basic yet most important unit of the society. Koreans are committed to upholding family values and traditions and are expected to protect the family reputation and social standing.
The breath-taking pace that development has taken changed the Korean family structure very rapidly. As the economy developed, people are forced to keep face with the changes. The demography is changing. Korea’s ageing population is increasing. The divorce rate are on the rise as well as the life expectancy for both men and women. More and more women are entering the labor market. Mew types of family structures are also emerging including so-called empty-nest households, unmarried men or women living alone, ‘binuclear’ families of remarried couples, single-parent households and even homosexual-cohabitation.
In Korea, the role of family as an important unit of society that shape morals; care for the young, old and weak; socialize; confer social status; and provide recreation has shifted to other institutions of the society. Industrialization has caused family members to drift from one another. The father spends more time at work that being with his family. The Korean mother on the other hand, has taken the role of instrument for university exam preparation.
The Koreans have an educational system that gives importance to university entrance exam test and university education is greatly valued. The college exam entrance test and the prestige that comes from being able to enter top universities have become an area of competition for Korean families especially Korean mothers. Korean mothers suffer from ‘high school senior mother syndrome’ pushing their children to excel in academics that even reach the point of controlling their children’s choices and decisions. This has caused stress among Korean students and some even run away from their homes in order to avoid the stress stemming from college entrance exam.
The over importance that the Korean families are giving to college entrance exam and education has led them to resort to other forms of educating their children. Private tutoring is a good example. Private tutoring according to Chapman and Austin (2002) is a form of education outside formal schooling employed to prepare students for the university entrance examination. This according to them is a form of shadow education.
Education mirrors the changes in the society and family. As more and more mothers are entering the workforce, child care centers are increasing in numbers. The social and economic status of Korean families also reflects their educational choices where a student from a well to do family have access to private tutoring which sometimes is more costly than normal education. Students from well to do family also have access to prestigious colleges and universities.
References
Chapman, D. W. and Austen, A. E. (Eds.) (2002). Higher Education in the Developing World: Changing Contexts and Institutional Responses. Westport CT: Greenwood Press.
Cho, U. (1997). Compressed Development and Family Culture. Korea Focus: On Current Topics, 5(3), 93-102.
Chung B. H. (2001). Changes in Korean Family Structure and the Conflicts of Ideology and Practice in Early Socialization. Korea Journal, 41(4), 123-143.
Kim, H. J. (2000). Korea’s Obsession with Private Tutoring. Korea Focus, 77-89.
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