Between ‘shopper’ and ‘owner’: emerging agency of lifelong learner in South Korea’s marketing-driven expansion of lifelong education

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explores the expansion of Korean lifelong education over the last two decades in terms of conceptualising the lifelong learner as identity and agency. Based on qualitative interviews with lifelong educators and learners at lifelong education institutions, the authors describe the lifelong educators’ use of marketing strategies to turn learners into core members who continuously consume their programmes, which greatly resembles loyal customers. However, these loyal customers did not remain ‘shoppers.’ They came to exercise owner-agency since they felt like they were a part of the institution, which led them into conflict with the lifelong educators over the institutions’ management. This study reveals that in Korea, marketing contributed to the expansion of lifelong education and cultivated the identity and agency of lifelong learners as both shoppers and owners.