The Realities of Public Higher Education in Korea

Abstract

SERVING on the one hand as an instrument of international under> standing and on the other as a strategic weapon in the global contest with communism, education today is a two-edged sword in the field of foreign affairs. In forty or more underprivileged countries around the world, the student is increasingly recognized as a key individual, not only in terms of future leadership, but as a participant in organized and sometimes violent group action on current problems. What type of training do these young people receive in their indigenous universities? How do these overseas institutions measure up to the concept of higher education in the American image? Phrased in various ways, these questions have been presented to me many times since my return from Seoul following the student-faculty demonstrations that led to the overthrow of the Rhee administration in South Korea. This extensive interest is coupled with a feeling of awe and admiration for pupils and professors who faced police gunfire in order to bring attention to the oppression and corruption that had become ingrained in their national government. In view of the fact that the uprising overthrew a twelve-year regime which had deteriorated into a dishonest and fraudulent dictatorship, it may very well be that the sacrifices of nearly two hundred dead and six thousand injured have given true democracy a chance to succeed eventually in their country. Actually, a fresh but shaky start is now under way. Furthermore, America has been removed, at least temporarily, from the embarrassing position of supporting an administration which was representative in name only. It is something of a surprise to most visiting educators to find that South Korea has a total of sixty-one institutions of higher learning with an enrollment of approximately 8o,ooo students. In a destitute country