Case Studies

The Impact of OECD on South Korean Education Policy: Balancing Global Governance and National Demand (1993-2022)

Yundong Wu (Corresponding Author)
ROR Dongshin University
Weijian Kong
ROR Quanzhou Ocean Institute
Ruofan Lin
ROR Yunnan Normal University
Global Review of Humanities, Arts, and Society
Published:2025-07-29

Abstract

This study focuses on the thirty-year period from 1993 to 2022, and analyses the impact of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on South Korean education policymaking process in the context of global governance. At the same time, the study looks into the context of globalisation and explores the unique value and significance of South Korean education governance in this context. The results of the study show that the external influence of global governance is not a "foreign factor" that contradicts a country's own development needs. On the contrary, as long as the influence of global governance is skillfully integrated with local democratic practices, it can be transformed into a powerful impetus for national education development and effectively serve the core needs of the country in the field of education. In the grand narrative of global education development, a crucial consensus is emerging: the key to the long-term development and ultimate success of global education programmes lies in the establishment of a pluralistic and balanced decision-making mechanism. Such a mechanism needs to take into account the practical demands of frontline education stakeholders, the strategic concerns of the national level, and the advanced concepts and norms advocated by international organisations such as the OECD. South Korean practical exploration in this area provides a vivid and convincing illustration of this theoretical consensus, and vividly explains how to find a balance in education policy decision-making in the complex and volatile international and domestic environments in order to promote the vigorous development of education.

Keywords:

Globalisation; Policy Convergence; South Korea; OECD
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Journal Info

ISSN3052-539X
PublisherPanorama Scholarly Group

How to Cite

Wu, Y., Weijian Kong, & Ruofan Lin. (2025). The Impact of OECD on South Korean Education Policy: Balancing Global Governance and National Demand (1993-2022). Global Review of Humanities, Arts, and Society, 1(3), 41-64. https://doi.org/10.63802/grhas.v1.i3.46

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