ABSTRACT
South Korea has been characterized by a popular drive for educational achievement that helped transform the country into one of the best schooled in the world and contributed to the country’s rapid economic development and its democratization. However, a focus on competition to enter prestige schools has also put enormous pressure on young people, placed an economic burden on families as they paid for tutoring and after-school lessons, and undermined efforts to foster the development of more egalitarian society. All are issues that have been at the center of public discourse.
