Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the current status of research and practice in ESD focusing on secondary school subjects to reorganize ESD elements around the subject curriculum, which is one axis of the school curriculum. Methods After analyzing the studies that were searched from the keywords ESD from RISS, the study investigated the status of the perception and practice of secondary school teachers teaching Korean language, social studies, mathematics, science, foreign language/Chinese/Liberal arts, physical education/art, practical skills/other subjects nationwide through an online survey. The Excel program and SPSS Statistics 27 program were used for the analysis, trends were identified with descriptive statistics, and statistical significance was examined with one-way ANOVA. Results As a result of the study, although the majority of studies were conducted on elementary school students, comparing only the secondary school level, research was mainly conducted for science and social studies subjects in high schools, and practical/other subjects in middle schools. Teachers in science and social studies, where ESD research is active, responded that the degree of ESD reflection was similar to the general and subject curriculum. Whereas in subjects like Korean language and mathematics, with insufficient ESD research, teachers responded that the degree of ESD reflection was lower in the subject curriculum compared to the general curriculum. Excluding the mathematics department, it can be seen that the subject connection is salient when teaching ESD as a subject learning topic. Regarding the difficulties experienced while practicing ESD, teachers in social studies, foreign language/Chinese/Liberal Arts, physical education/arts, and practical/other subjects chose students' lack of interest and awareness, and mathematics teachers chose teachers’ lack of professionalism. Conclusions The results of this study have great significance in that it explored the necessity of promoting integrated education focusing on the theme of each subject by acknowledging the independence and differentiation of each subject’s unique content and themes in secondary schools like Korea where there is a clear division between subjects.