The Republic of Korea (hereafter South Korea) is one of relatively few developing states to experience consistent, significant success in economic, social, and governmental development. Although it began its post-civil war history with a real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of about US$1,459 in 1955, South Korea is now considered a high-income country by the World Bank with a per capita income of US$15,876. With the exception of the 1980 recession and the 1997 Asian financial crisis, South Korea has maintained some of the highest GDP growth rates in the world for the past 45 years (see Table 11.1). Today, it is a global leader in industries ranging from shipbuilding to cellular phones and stem-cell research. The country has likewise experienced remarkable improvements in key indicators, such as life expectancy, infant mortality, and education attainment. In addition, although the country was controlled by authoritarian governments from its establishment in 1948 up to the late 1980s and during the its most extraordinary periods of economic growth, South Korea today is considered a politically stable, liberal democracy.
Although its development experience involved essential cultural, geographical, and historical contexts that cannot be duplicated in today's developing countries, South Korea provides many insights into the question that state leaders, economists, humanitarians, and development experts have struggled with for decades: why are some countries rich and others poor? General explanations for South Korea's success include effective government policies, high rates of saving, a relatively egalitarian distribution of income, large infusions of foreign aid, and East Asian, Confucian values that emphasize thrift, diligence, and discipline (Weil 2005, p.347). The rapid accumulation of human capital following the end of Japanese Colonialism in 1945, however, has been widely recognized as a key piece in South Korea's development puzzle and has been studied extensively (McGinn et al. 1980; Morris 1996; Lopez, Thomas & Wang 1998). Despite significant investment in and accumulation of human capital, however, economic returns in other developing countries have not reached expectations (Holsinger 2005; Pritchett 2001); several scholars have suggested that this may be due to levels of inequality in the distribution of education (Holsinger 2005; Lopez, Thomas & Wang 1998; Thomas, Wang & Fan 2001; Dessus 2001).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Berger, Peter L. (1988): An East Asian Development Model? in Berger, P.L. & Hsiao, H. (Eds.), In Search of East Asian Development Model. New York: Transaction Inc, pp.3–23.
Choe, Yang-Ho (1987): The Civil Examinations and the Social Structure in Early Yi Dynasty Korea, 1392–1600. Seoul: Korean Research Center.
Choi, Bong-Young (1998): Yugyo Munhwawa Hanguksahoeui Gundaehwa (Confucian Culture and the Modernization of Korean Society; in Korean). Sahoewa Yoksa (Society and History), Vol.53, pp.61–92.
Cummings, Bruce (1997): Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History. New York: W. W. Norton.
Dessus, Sebastien (2001): Human Capital and Growth: The Recovered Role of Education Systems. Policy Research Working Paper No.2632. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Gini, Corrado (1921): Measurement of Inequality of Incomes. The Economic Journal, Vol.31, No.121, pp.124–126.
Government-General of Chosen (1911): Annual Reports on Reforms and Progress in Chosen. Keijo (Seoul): Sotokufu.
Grootaert, Christiaan (1994): Education, Poverty, and Structural Change in Africa: Lessons from Cote D'Ivoire. International Journal of Educational Development, Vol.14, No.2, pp.131–142.
Gyoyuksinmunsa (1999a): History of Korean Education, 1888–1990: Historical Events (Hanguk Gyoyuk Simnyeonsa). Seoul: Gyoyuksinmunsa.
Gyoyuksinmunsa (1999b): History of Korean Education, 1888–1990: Data (Hanguk Gyoyuk Simnyeonsa). Seoul: Gyoyuksinmunsa
Heston, Alan; Summers, Robert & Aten, Bettina (2002): Penn World Table Version 6.1. Philadelphia: Center for International Comparisons, University of Pennsylvania. Available online at: http://pwt.econ.upenn.edu.
Holsinger, Donald B. (2005): Inequality in the Public Provision of Education: Why it Matters. Comparative Education Review, Vol.49, No.3, pp.297–310.
Jun, Sang-In (1999): No (Logical) Place for Asian Values in East Asia's Economic Development. Development and Society, Vol.28, No.2, pp.191–204.
Kehoe, Monika (1949): Higher education in Korea. Far Eastern Quarterly, Vol.8, No.2, pp.184–186.
Kim, Gwang-Jo (2002): Education Policies and Reform in South Korea, in Secondary Education in Africa: Strategies for Renewal. Washington, DC: The World Bank, pp.29–40.
Kim, Jong-Chol. (2000): Historical Development, in Weidman, John C. & Park, Namgi (Eds.), Higher Education in Korea. New York: Falmer Press, pp.7–53.
Kim, Kyong-Dong (1994): Confucianism and Capitalist Development in East Asia, Sklair, L. (Ed.), Capitalism and Development. New York: Routledge, pp.87–106.
Lopez, Ramon; Thomas, Vinod & Wang, Yan (1998): Addressing the Education Puzzle: The Distribution of Education and Economic Reform. Policy Research Working Paper No.2031. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
McGinn, Noel F.; Snodgrass, Donald R.; Kim, Yong Bong; Kim, Shin Bok & Kim, Quee Yong (1980): Education and Development in Korea. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Morris, Paul (1996): Asia's Four Little Tigers: A Comparison of the Role of Education in Their Development. Comparative Education, Vol.32, No.1, pp.95–109.
Oberdorfer, Don (2001): The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History. New York: Basic Books.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2007): Education at a Glance. Paris: OECD.
Park, Hyunjeong (2004): Educational Attainment Rate. Seoul: Korean Educational Development Institute. Available online at: http://mailzine.kedi.re.kr.
Park, Namgi (2003):Education War (Gyoyuk Jeonjangnon). Seoul: Jangmi.
Park, Namgi & Weidman, John C. (2000): Battlefield for Higher Education, in Weidman, John C. & Park, Namgi (eds.), Higher Education in Korea. New York: Garland, pp.177–202.
Pritchett, Lant (2001): Where Has All the Education Gone? World Bank Economic Review, Vol.15, No.3, pp.367–391.
Psacharopoulos, George (1989): Why Educational Reforms Fail: A Comparative Analysis. International Review of Education, Vol.35, No.2, pp.179–195.
Republic of Korea (1970): 1970 Population Census of the Republic of Korea. Korea National Statistical Office.
Republic of Korea (1980):1980 Population Census of the Republic of Korea. Seoul: Korea National Statistical Office.
Republic of Korea (1990): 1990 Population Census of the Republic of Korea. Seoul: Korea National Statistical Office.
Republic of Korea (2000): 2000 Population Census of the Republic of Korea. Seoul: Korea National Statistical Office.
Sen, Amartya (2000): Culture and Development. New Delhi: Global Development Network.
Seth, Michael J. (2002): Education Fever: Society, Politics, and the Pursuit of Schooling in South Korea. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Sorensen, Clark W. (1994): Success and Education in South Korea. Comparative Education Review, Vol.38, No.1, pp.10–35.
Thomas, Vinod; Wang, Yan & Fan, Xibo (2001): Measuring Education Inequality: Gini Coefficients of Education. Policy Research Working Paper No.2525. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Weber, Max (1952): The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. London: Allen & Unwin.
Weidman, John C. & Park, Namgi (Eds.) (2000): Higher Education in Korea. New York: Garland.
Weil, David N. (2005): Economic Growth. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley.
World Bank, The (2002): EdStats: Barro-Lee Data Set. Washington, DC: The World Bank. Available online at: http://devdata.worldbank.org/edstats/td10.asp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Comparative Education Research Centre
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Burt, M.E., Namgi, P. (2008). Education Inequality in the Republic of Korea: Measurement and Causes. In: Holsinger, D.B., Jacob, W.J. (eds) Inequality in Education. CERC Studies in Comparative Education, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2652-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2652-1_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-2651-4
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-2652-1
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)