Applied Moral Education in Korea

Education is a human right, but it also serves a practical function of improving the performance of domestic and international governance. Those who govern have an obligation to provide conditions of peace and security, to reconcile conflicts of interest, and to generate collective good, all while abiding by the rule of law. Those who are governed likewise have obligations, firstly towards their fellow citizens, but also to conceptualizations of the wider body politic, to the collective good, and towards those who govern in the interests of society through resolving collective action problems.

Education is key to training those who would govern, but also to training citizens to recognize when the instruments of government (both actors and institutions) fail to adhere to the principles of good governance. Furthermore, education provides the foundation for concepts of good citizenship among civil society. The chapters in this edited collection reflect upon the myriad ways in which supporting education and capacity-building training programs can not only bring benefit to the recipients, but also to the wider communities to which they belong. These include building resilience through empowering civil society, promoting democratic governance through civic education, building peace within and between societies, using education and training as tools of development, the public diplomacy role of educational scholarships, and the internationalization of learning environments.

The transformative nature of principled education can have a remarkable impact when applied to policy platforms within the state and beyond its borders. This is a rare insight into the purpose and value of education in the Republic of Korea, and will be a useful addition to any collection supporting studies in education and Asian Studies. It is supported by the Korean Association for Public Value.