Visit an American university and you will see scores of Korean students( more so, in California). I know this well, since I'm based in Southern California and spend considerable time on campus. This detailed article by educator John C. Weidman points to some reasons for Korea's emphasis on schooling....
Weldman notes...
It may be surprising to many that, according to the Institute for International Education (IIE), only the two most populated countries in the world, India and China, sent more students to study in postsecondary programs in the United States during 2005-2006 (76,503 and 62,582, respectively) than South Korea (58,847). [ But, one should note South Korea's population is only 48 million.]
The number of South Korean students studying abroad has been increasing dramatically since the start of the new millennium and the United States is just one among the more than 80 countries in which they have chosen to study. Table 1 shows the enrollment patterns since 1985. To put the number of South Korean students pursuing higher education abroad in perspective, they represent just under 5 percent of the total number of students at the postsecondary level.
Among the 190,364 South Korean students who were studying abroad at the postsecondary level in 2006, 36,220 were pursuing graduate degrees, 77,515 were pursuing undergraduate degrees, and 76,629 were taking English courses.
Why do South Korean students leave their own highly economically and educationally advanced country? For one reason, as the South Korean economy has developed, more and more families can afford to send their children overseas to study. For another, the intense competition for advancement through education in South Korean society leads even families with limited means to send their children abroad in order to keep up with their more affluent neighbors.
Why do parents think that studying abroad can provide their children with competitive power? Some say that learning English in order to find continuing employment in an increasingly globalized economy is a main reason. On July 2, 2007, the Washington Post ran a story suggesting that English is the "golden tongue" for South Koreans. According to the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI, 2006), around 60 percent of South Korean students studying oversea choose English speaking countries like the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Others argue that the South Korean educational system and curriculum are not preparing students well. They say that Korean classrooms have too much competition, and while Korean education is unique and of high quality, students do not learn to be creative. However, in the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), South Korean students were second only to Finland in terms of average scores. Further, South Korean students ranked at the top in problem solving ability, one aspect of creativity. Certainly this suggests there is not much evidence that the countries in which most South Korean students study have better educational systems or curriculum than South Korea.
Then what are the most pervasive reasons for South Korean students' high desire for studying overseas? It seems reasonable to assert that this is a continuing reflection of Korean educational aspirations, or "education fever," based on the strong cultural belief that education is the primary pathway for social mobility and a better future as well as individual success in an increasingly globalized society. A favorite South Korean slogan for successful globalization is "Only the first can survive," suggesting that the small segment of South Korean families sending their children to study abroad are doing so to improve their children's chances for career advancement in the global marketplace.
For South Korean students, overseas study is believed to provide them with the capacities necessary for a better and more secure future. In 2006, the GDP of South Korea was $897.4 billion. Exports from South Korea were $326 billion, and imports into the country were $309.3 billion, which means that foreign trade comprised more than 70 percent of the country's GDP. In April of 2007, South Korea concluded a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Now it is negotiating a similar agreement with the European Union. The more the economy of South Korea has developed, the more dependent it has become on foreign markets. For successful globalization, South Koreans should become good at using foreign languages, understand foreign culture, get the highest levels of academic and technological knowledge, and have global management ability, all enriched by study and living experiences in foreign countries.
What are the negative effects of too many students studying abroad? First of all, it could be argued that too much money is spent for studying and staying in foreign countries. If the students fail to complete their studies, or if they get education that does not lead to good careers, their loss may too much for students and their families to bear. Further, South Korea may not have the capacity to absorb the more than 190,000 students studying abroad into the labor market, though fully 40 percent of the South Korean students enrolled in postsecondary programs abroad are studying English rather than earning undergraduate and graduate degrees. With less than 5 percent of all South Korean postsecondary students enrolled abroad, only the most committed students and their parents are actually making this type of investment.
Second, as more and more South Korean students leave the country for their studies, education in South Korea may become regarded as inferior or simply a preparatory level for studying abroad, which could hinder South Korea in its own human resource development. Of course, it might also be an impetus for South Korean higher education to improve its resource base in order to be more competitive internationally, drawing students from other countries and enhancing its standing in international rankings of universities.
Many South Korean corporations, including Samsung and Hyundai, contribute to the world economy by producing goods of high quality and hiring many foreign employees. However, South Korean companies have preferred to establish their own research and development operations rather than entering into arrangements with universities, a more common phenomenon in Europe and the United States. The educational system of South Korea has been a beacon for developing countries, but now is the time for South Korean education to be one of the real educational leaders by attracting foreign scholars and students from highly developed countries.
Foreign language is one of the weakest points for South Korean universities, especially in comparison with Singapore or Hong Kong, which are located in Asia but in which English is an official language. While increasing numbers of South Korean universities have introduced English lectures, the low scores of students on such English language tests as the TOEFL suggest that more native English speakers need to be recruited into faculty positions and more courses need to have substantial English language components. More immersion programs should be developed so that South Korean students learn to use spoken English better. South Korean universities should also strive to improve their resource base as well as their cooperative relationships with foreign higher education institutions in order to compete for students and faculty on a global basis. Over the past four years, the number of foreign students studying in South Korea has nearly tripled, but is it is still just over 32,000.
Korea is well positioned to establish an international standard for a university centered, knowledge based society. Among 25-34 year-olds, the South Korean population that had attained at least upper secondary education in 2002 was 95 percent, highest in the world [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance, 2004]. More than 82 percent of South Korean high school graduates enter postsecondary educational institutions, also the highest rate of college entrance in the world. For South Korea to be even more widely recognized as a knowledge-based society led by higher educational institutions, there should be stronger connections with employers, especially on the research and development side. Higher educational institutions will have to be highly flexible in order to adapt to changing demands for development of business, industry, technology or other areas influencing society. To build this flexibility, higher education institutions will require greater autonomy, though not without full accountability and transparency.
In addition, for succeeding in an increasingly globalized context, South Korea must never give up the ideal of providing every student with the opportunity to be highly educated. In particular, while South Korean education has really progressed in terms of gender equity, the percentage of female degree earners still needs to be improved, particularly at the graduate level.
South Korea should also invest national energy and resources in education for gifted students who have the potential to lead the cutting-edge of knowledge development. The country is at a crossroads, recognizing that globalization is marching inevitably onward and proud of its educational accomplishments but also realizing that it must move in new directions in order to attract the attention it richly deserves as a model of development driven by the pursuit of knowledge and its effective use. This requires reaching out to international partners and encouraging South Korean students to learn foreign languages through immersion programs and intensive instructional interventions.
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