South+Korea+-+Appel

= South Korea and Links to Education =

= = South Korea is located on the southern half of the Korean peninsula, dividing the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. The country is slightly larger than Indiana, and is ranked 108 in size out of all of the world countries. Their population of 48,800,000 is distributed rather unevenly into the 15-65 year old categories. While this appears logical because it is such a large bracket of the population, this shows that it is a slowly growing population, rather than a rapidly growing one. This plays a major factor in the amount of finances and government involvement in the school systems, rather than in the retirement age bracket, or birth to 14. Interestingly enough, according to an article in Time, the fertility rate in South Korea is greatly affected by the educational system in the country. “But the country's leaders worry that unless its rigid, hierarchical system starts to nurture more innovation, economic growth will stall — and fertility rates will continue to decline as families feel the pressure of paying for all that tutoring.”

While 97% of the population over the age of 15 can read and write, giving South Korea one of the highest literacy rates in the world. This displays the emphasis on education and the power that is viewed with holding a high level of academic achievement. An interesting element of the Korea education system is that most schools are divided along gender lines. Even in courses that have become non-gender specific still divide numerous classes along gender lines. “The primary curriculum consists of nine principal subjects: moral education, Korean language, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education, music, fine arts, and practical arts” With these statistics, that would suggest that one third of the daily curriculum in South Korea is focused on the what we would classify as the arts.

Currently, there is a program called Korean Arts and Culture Education Service which is much like our governing board of education in the United States. According to their website, they have three main roles in public schools.
 * The first is to bring artist into the school setting. Building this relationship with young students and professional artists is a way for the students to see that the artists are "real" people and not just a figure in a book.
 * Next, the KACES connects the local art in school neighborhoods and communities to make a connection between students and the need to have community support if Korean students are going to excel in the arts.
 * Their last step is to re-train teachers in the schools so that they have an up-to-date, invigorating curriculum and are armed with all of the tools needed to offer the best arts integrated education to their students.

= Do-Ho Shu = Korean Sculptor 50 year old sculptor Do-Ho Suh began his art education in his home country of South Korea. He studied in Korea first At Soeul National University, earning a degree in Oriental Painting. He moved to the United States and continued his studies in less classical forms of art, which is now apparent in his work. His creations are large scale, often room filling sculptures. The pieces are made up of smaller, intricate items such as dog tags, or figurines. In a PBS documentary, Suh discusses the concept behind his art and how it is intended to raise the question of the true role of an individual in the greater good of society. Knowing the history of South Korea, and the intensity of the commitment to your country, there is a clear understanding as to why this is a theme through his work. Below are examples of these award winning, room filling, thought provoking, sculptures. Also a link to his PBS artist profile.



[] - The video at the bottom of the page is a complete interview with visuals of his pieces.

= Korean Artist Project = Continuing the emphasis on national pride as well as recognition of heritage and history, one of the most successful compositions of Korean art comes from the Korean Artist Project. This internet based program is a place for new "contemporary" artists to get their name into the sport light, but it is also used as an outlet for traditional work to be displayed as well.

The major governing body of the KAP is the Korean Art Museum Association, which typically oversees and regulates the pieces being displayed through the nation. The same people who make the decisions for the physical displays around the nation pick the artists to be showcased on the website. Due to the accessibility of the internet over the accessibility of museums around the country, more artists can reach a further portion of the population. Not only do they plan to reach the Korean population to the extreme, but rather a world wide market.The KAP is used as a tool for schools also to view the virtual galleries, but also to compile a listing of museums and their galleries that are open to the public and school groups.



=** Comparison **= The comparisons between the school systems in South Korea and the education I experienced have to do with the courses offered, and the divisions of elementary, middle, and high school. Sadly, that is where the similarities stop. The programs offered to schools in the United States are focused on improving the students in a professional manner and growing through the years. The Korean system is strong on emphasizing being a strong member of both current day society as well as reflecting the people of the past. They also have a high number of students attending specialized schools, rather than general education ones. While we do have schools for the arts or sciences, the South Korean population has around 40% of their school age students in select studies programs. In the "typical" school setting that I attended, focuses were on showing individual progress, creative or not, where as in the Korean schools, the focus is on improving as a unit of citizens.

Sources :

 * https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html#top
 * [|http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2094427,00.html#ixzz1yLN9NJiO]
 * http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/wJStcbqh7Lx/Students+Face+Crucial+Exams+University
 * http://www.koreanartistproject.com/eng_main.art?method=main
 * http://eng.arte.or.kr/arte_eng/what/formal.html