Education is more than knowledge — it is how a person grows
For decades, education has been a driving force behind Korea's national development and industrialisation. After the introduction of American-style progressive education following liberation and through the era of industrial growth, an ability-centred model took hold to raise national competitiveness — contributing significantly to both economic growth and high levels of educational attainment.
As this system matured, however, it became oriented toward entrance exams and academic achievement, while education that helps people explore their own values and identity and design the direction of their lives remained limited. Today's formal curriculum has tried to overcome these limits through expanded student choice, credit-based systems, process-oriented assessment, and creative and interdisciplinary learning — yet within a college-entrance-driven culture and social structure, these efforts have not yet been fully realised.
Even so, public investment in and innovation of education continue to expand. The national education budget has grown from roughly KRW 19 trillion in the early 2000s to more than KRW 100 trillion today, and new policies for creativity, character, and career competence are continuously introduced.
Yet adults who have already completed formal schooling belong to a generation that did not fully benefit from these changes. Young people and adults who entered society without systematic opportunities to explore their strengths, values, and direction still need education for self-understanding, career design, relationships, and self-directed growth.
The Korean Youth Educational Development Institute was founded in response to this social need. From the perspective of lifelong learning — as a complement to formal schooling — the Institute researches and develops educational programs that help youth and adults explore their identity and direction and grow on their own terms. Through partnership with schools, communities, and institutions, we aim to build an educational ecosystem in which everyone can enjoy opportunities to grow.
We believe education is not simply the transfer of knowledge, but a process that helps a person understand themselves, cooperate with others, and live a meaningful life within society. As an educational community that connects research and practice, the Institute will propose new educational models that meet the changes of our time and take the lead in shaping a sustainable culture of learning.