ABSTRACT

This essay focuses largely on the current complex situation which now exists in Korea with respect to the administration of religious education (RE). It considers four aspects in order to move toward a deeper understanding of the current complexities in Korean schools. First, it looks at the understanding of religion as this is expressed in the Korean constitution and in its interpretations; second, the framework act on education and its application for the administration of RE; third, the evolution of RE as a school subject in the regular curriculum of school studies since the propagation of the fourth national curriculum in 1982–1988; and fourth and lastly, a number of complex issues which should be noticed with respect to teaching guidelines and the accreditation of textbooks for RE in Korean schools.