Singapore and Korea Towards Creative Economy in 21st Century: Comparative Analysis of Higher Education in Singapore and South Korea

Abstract

This paper analyzes the most recent policies and trends in South Korean and Singaporean higher education. The main objective of this comparative analysis is to show similarities between South Korean and Singaporean strategies for their higher education structures, despite striking differences between the emergence levels of the two higher education systems. The comparison is designed to identify their most recent past, current efforts to progress in decentralization of tertiary education towards creative economy; to develop policies in order to increase competitiveness of domestic “world-class” universities; to attract a high number of international students, particularly full-tuition paying students; to attract and retain foreign talents. Certain programs, such as the provision of bonded scholarship for international students in Singapore and WCU in Korea, may appear controversial. Accordingly, the fine-tuning of referring policies and drivers is of vital importance.