how much homework does south korea have

Everything you want to know about South Korea

How much homework does South Korea have?

The homework culture in south korea.

South Korea is known for its rigorous education system, and homework is a significant part of it. Students in South Korea have been found to spend more time on homework than their peers in other countries. The following paragraphs detail how much homework South Korean students have and the reasons behind it.

How Much Homework Do South Korean Students Have?

According to a 2014 study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), South Korean students spend an average of 2.9 hours per week on homework per subject. This amount is higher than the OECD average of 1.7 hours per week, making it one of the highest amounts of homework given worldwide.

The Reason for High Amounts of Homework in South Korea

There are several reasons why South Korean students have so much homework. Firstly, South Koreans place great emphasis on education, and parents often pressure their children to excel academically. Secondly, the competition among students is intense, with only a limited number of spots available at prestigious universities and high-paying jobs.

The Relationship Between Homework and Academic Performance

Studies have shown mixed results when it comes to the relationship between homework and academic performance. While some studies suggest that more homework leads to better grades, others suggest that too much homework can negatively affect academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being.

The Impact of Homework on Mental Health

South Korean students often experience high levels of stress due to the immense pressure placed on academic achievement. The excessive amount of homework adds to this stress, leading to sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression.

The Role of Teachers in Assigning Homework

Teachers play a vital role in assigning homework to students. While homework is intended to reinforce the material learned in class, teachers must ensure that the amount of homework is reasonable and does not exceed a student’s capacity. Some teachers in South Korea have been found to assign excessive amounts of homework, leading to burnout and stress among students.

The Effectiveness of Homework

While homework has been a traditional method of education, its effectiveness in enhancing learning remains debatable. Some studies suggest that homework can help students build discipline, develop better study habits, and reinforce learning. Others argue that homework is often tedious and a waste of time.

The Relationship Between Homework and Student Motivation

Studies have shown that too much homework can lead to decreased motivation among students. When students are overloaded with homework, they may lose interest in learning and become less motivated to complete their assignments.

The Role of Parents in Homework

Parents play an essential role in their children’s education, including helping them with their homework. However, parents in South Korea may take this role too seriously, leading to excessive pressure on their children to succeed academically.

The Impact of Technology on Homework

Technology has changed the way students learn and complete their homework. With smartphones, tablets, and laptops, students can access information and complete assignments more easily. However, technology can also be a distraction, leading to procrastination and reduced productivity.

The Potential for Change in South Korean Education

The South Korean government has recognized the negative impact of excessive homework on student well-being and has taken steps to reduce it. Some schools have implemented no-homework policies or reduced the amount of homework assigned. However, changing deeply ingrained cultural attitudes towards education will take time.

The Importance of Balancing Academics and Well-being

In conclusion, while South Korea’s education system is known for its rigor, the excessive amount of homework assigned to students can have negative impacts on their mental health and well-being. It is essential to strike a balance between academics and overall well-being to ensure that students can succeed academically without sacrificing their mental health.

Which country has most homework?

If you are a student residing in Italy, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework you receive. A study by the OECD found that 15-year-old students in Italy have to complete nearly 9 hours of homework every week, which is the highest amount compared to any other country in the world.

How many hours a day do Korean students study?

South Korea’s education system is renowned for producing top-performing students but it is also known for being rigorous. Students often spend between 12 to 16 hours per day at school or at a hagwon, which is a special after-school academy.

What country has the shortest school day?

In Finland, schools usually begin between 9 and 9:45 am and students generally spend only five hours a day in class.

How many school days are in Korea?

Elementary and middle school students have days that are similar in structure but less intense than high school, with shorter hours and more opportunities for recreation. All three levels have a minimum attendance requirement of 220 days.

Do Korean students have a lot of homework?

South Korea is regarded as the global leader in education, and their students typically have less than 3 hours of homework to complete each week, on average.

What is the smartest country with no homework?

In one of the world’s highest-ranking education systems, there is very little homework assigned. This is because Finnish culture values activities outside of school that can improve a student’s academic performance, such as spending time with family, staying physically active, and getting sufficient rest.

Alternative Learning Approaches

While homework has been a traditional method of reinforcing learning, there are alternative approaches that South Korean educators can adopt. Project-based learning, for example, allows students to apply what they have learned in class to real-world situations. This approach can be more engaging and interactive than traditional homework assignments.

Emphasizing Physical Activity and Play

South Korean students often spend long hours studying and completing homework, leaving little time for physical activity and play. However, research has shown that exercise and play are essential for overall well-being and can even improve academic performance. Schools can incorporate more physical activity into the curriculum or provide opportunities for students to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities.

Encouraging Parent-Teacher Communication

Open communication between parents and teachers is crucial in ensuring that students do not become overwhelmed with excessive amounts of homework. Teachers can communicate with parents about the amount of homework assigned and work together to find solutions if a student is struggling. Parent-teacher conferences can also provide an opportunity to discuss concerns about homework and academic performance.

The Importance of Self-Care

South Korean students often prioritize academics over self-care, leading to burnout and stress. It is essential to teach students the importance of self-care, including getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and practicing mindfulness techniques such as meditation or yoga. By prioritizing self-care, students can maintain their mental health while still achieving academic success.

Cultural Shifts Towards Education

South Korea’s education system has been deeply ingrained in its culture for decades, but there is a growing movement towards re-evaluating the importance of academic achievement. Some parents are starting to prioritize their children’s well-being over their academic performance, and some schools are implementing alternative approaches to learning. These cultural shifts may take time, but they are an essential step towards creating a more balanced approach to education.

Related posts:

• Is there night school in Korea?
• How long are Korean school breaks?
• How much homework do Korean students get?
• How long is a day of school in South Korea?

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• Countries Who Spend the Most Time Doing Homework

Homework is an important aspect of the education system and is often dreaded by the majority of students all over the world. Although many teachers and educational scholars believe homework improves education performance, many critics and students disagree and believe there is no correlation between homework and improving test scores.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organization. With headquarters in Paris, the organization was formed for the purpose of stimulating global trade and economic progress among member states. In 2009, the OECD conducted a detailed study to establish the number of hours allocated for doing homework by students around the world and conducted the research in 38 member countries. The test subjects for the study were 15 year old high school students in countries that used PISA exams in their education systems. The results showed that in Shanghai, China the students had the highest number of hours of homework with 13.8 hours per week. Russia followed, where students had an average of 9.7 hours of homework per week. Finland had the least amount of homework hours with 2.8 hours per week, followed closely by South Korea with 2.9 hours. Among all the countries tested, the average homework time was 4.9 hours per week.

Interpretation of the data

Although students from Finland spent the least amount of hours on their homework per week, they performed relatively well on tests which discredits the notion of correlation between the number of hours spent on homework with exam performance. Shanghai teenagers who spent the highest number of hours doing their homework also produced excellent performances in the school tests, while students from some regions such as Macao, Japan, and Singapore increased the score by 17 points per additional hour of homework. The data showed a close relation between the economic backgrounds of students and the number of hours they invested in their homework. Students from affluent backgrounds spent fewer hours doing homework when compared to their less privileged counterparts, most likely due to access to private tutors and homeschooling. In some countries such as Singapore, students from wealthy families invested more time doing their homework than less privileged students and received better results in exams.

Decline in number of hours

Subsequent studies conducted by the OECD in 2012 showed a decrease in the average number hours per week spent by students. Slovakia displayed a drop of four hours per week while Russia declined three hours per week. A few countries including the United States showed no change. The dramatic decline of hours spent doing homework has been attributed to teenager’s increased use of the internet and social media platforms.

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Teach.com / Resources

Homework Around the World

January 12, 2017 

The verdict is in, and when it comes to homework, it appears that less is more. Research shows that several of the countries scoring top in the world for education, surprisingly dole out the least amount of homework to their students.

South Korea leads the world in education, and on average, students receive less than 3 hours of homework per week.

On the other hand, the United States leads the charge with the most money spent on education per student and students receive a significantly greater amount of homework, but clocks in at number 17 in the world for education. So, why the disparity?

Let’s take a look at this infographic to see how homework and different types of education systems factor into academic rankings around the world.

Here's how homework differs around the world

The INSIDER Summary:

• The infographic below shows how education systems around the world differ. • It compares the amount of homework given per week, how much is spent on education, and how many days of school there is per week in countries around the world. • South Korea's education system was ranked number one.

More homework doesn't necessarily mean a better education.

According to the infographic below, created by Ozicare Insurance, the countries that offer the best education systems around the world don't always dole out piles of homework to students.

Students in Italy — whose education system ranked relatively low on the 2014 Pearson review — complete about 8.1 hours of homework per week, while students in South Korea — whose education system ranked number one in the world on the 2014 Pearson review— only spend 2.9 hours on homework weekly.

Keep scrolling to find out more about education across the globe.

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Watch: 3 reasons why North and South Korean reunification is unlikely

• Main content

School in South Korea – Learn about their education system

Last modified: Nov 07, 2023 | 14 min read | By Laura Toyryla

Any school in South Korea can be considered a good one. Thus, it is incredibly interesting to learn more about Korean schools and understand why the South Korean education system is highly regarded.

In this article, we will explain to you what primary, secondary, and tertiary education is like in South Korea.

• 1.1 South Korea education system
• 1.2 When does school start in Korea?
• 1.3 How much do students study in South Korea?
• 1.4 South Korea Literacy Rate
• 1.5 What is the Korean school system like?
• 1.6 Teachers in South Korea
• 1.7 Foreign Language learning in South Korea
• 1.8 Is school free in South Korea?
• 2.1 Elementary school in South Korea
• 2.2 Middle school in South Korea
• 2.3 High schools in Korea
• 2.4 University in South Korea
• 3 International Schools in Korea

Here’s a downloadable PDF that you can bring anywhere:

What are South Korean schools like?

South Korea has the highest percentage in the entire world – 70%, to be specific – in regards to people aged 24 to 35 who have completed some type of education beyond high school. That may mean a university degree or higher in university, completing a shorter program in a polytechnic, or something else equivalent.

South Korea education system

The standard of Korean schools is really high, and private and public schools both provide a great quality of teaching. The basic construction of Korea’s education system is as follows: Compulsory education is composed of six years in elementary, three years in middle school, and three years in high school.

South Korea also has a   national curriculum developed by the Ministry of Education. They also monitor this national curriculum, which is revised every five to ten years, reflecting the changes happening in Korean society.

When does school start in Korea?

There are two semesters in each school year, the first one running from March to July  and the second one from September to February.

While holidays for summer and winter exist, there are ten optional half days of school at the beginning and end of each holiday break, and the majority of Korean students attend both.

Get “School in South Korea” Free PDF Guide

How much do students study in South Korea?

It is common for Korean students of any schooling level to attend private schools and/or receive tutoring outside of official school hours. For primary and secondary schools, the number of classes taken is typically less, as well as less rigid, than they are for high schools.

There are also more recreational activities and classes, such as taekwondo or piano or cooking and baking, included in their schedules than there are for high schoolers.

South Korea Literacy Rate

South Korea has some of the highest rates in literacy, sciences, and mathematics among OECD countries on its Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and essentially in the whole world.

In fact, it is said that South Korea has a 100% literacy rate producing gifted students.

What is the Korean school system like?

Although there has been some push for change over the years, especially recently, as of right now, the Korean school system is highly test-driven.

In general, which middle school, high school, and university the student went to has a major influence on future career opportunities . That is one major reason why students, even from primary and secondary schools, already receive tutoring lessons and go to private schools.

However, the Korean government has been making efforts as of late to reduce the pressure and stress put on Korean students through the current education system.

In some regions, there are limitations to the operating hours of private schools – better known as hagwon (학원 in Korean) or cram schools. There is also an exam-free school year system put into place in middle school. Only time will tell whether these efforts will work.

Overall, Korea’s system of education is seen as one of the most rigorous ones in the world, with its goal to efficiently prepare students for their future careers. It has the largest private tutoring industry out there. Also, a lot of the top-ranking Korean government officials and big company management positions are also currently mostly held by university graduates from top-tier Korean universities.

Teachers in South Korea

Teachers in South Korea are typically highly respected by the general public. It’s not without reason, as they are also highly educated in their profession and often get into universities in South Korea. Those seeking to become teachers must also attend a university specializing in education.

For people who aim to teach in Korean elementary schools, they must also major in primary education. This is specifically created to develop future teachers for primary schools.

There are also only very few institutions in Korea for training primary school teachers. However, unlike primary education, there are more training institutions and programs dedicated to secondary school teachers.

Foreign Language learning in South Korea

A foreign language like English is taught at various levels in Korea . Young students from public and private schools are already taught English.

At the university level, foreign language learning is becoming increasingly important. In the top universities, already more than 30% of courses are taught in English now. In general, English is seen as one of the most prioritized school subjects to learn, with private tutoring and hagwon classes offered from as early on as kindergarten.

Thus, a lot of money has also gone into this foreign language learning, both by the Korean government and by the families themselves.

Is school free in South Korea?

Primary and secondary schools are free in South Korea. Also, in order to promote equality, middle school students are placed into schools based on the districts they live in through a computer lottery system. However, unlike previous levels of schooling, high school is not free in Korea. It is also not mandatory to attend.

Education Levels in South Korean schools

There are different levels of education in South Korea, starting from elementary all the way up to university. To add, Korea also accommodates international students through international schools.

Elementary school in South Korea

In South Korea, attending school at the elementary school level is free of charge in its public education, beginning at the age of 6 . Prior to entering primary school, nearly every child attends some form of preschool and kindergarten.

School subjects studied by students from primary schools are as follows: Korean language, mathematics, ethics, social studies, English, science, arts, music, and physical education.

In recent years, efforts have been made for primary schools to move away from multiple-choice question-only exams and to introduce essay writing and creative thinking into exams and testing instead.

Middle school in South Korea

In South Korean middle schools, the curriculum is constructed of 12 subjects, some of which are basic and mandatory for all, and some of which are electives and extracurricular activities.

Middle school teachers all have their own subjects they are specialized in teaching. Much of the subjects are the continuation of what the children were taught in elementary school, namely the Korean language, mathematics, ethics, social studies, English, science, arts, music, and physical education.

However, in addition, students also get to choose between studying technical education or home sciences.

High schools in Korea

There are nine primary subjects taught in Korean high schools . These subjects are Korean language , social studies (including Korean history), mathematics, science, physical education, fine arts, practical arts, and moral education.

How are high schools categorized in South Korea?

High schools in Korea are divided into these different categories.

The majority of high schools in South Korea still continue to be boys only or girls only today, although the amount of co-ed schools for secondary education has been on the rise.

They follow a standardized curriculum, which means that boys and girls study the same subjects, even if they attend Korean schools separated by gender.

Academic and Vocational High Schools in Korea

These are also divided between academic and vocational high schools. More than half of them are still in academic high schools, focusing on academic performance.

There are also a few high schools that are specifically specialized in focusing on sports, science, arts, or foreign languages, among other fields of specialization.

The vocational ones, on the other hand, offer a system focusing on employment. The majority of South Korean students enroll in regular secondary education.

Elite high schools in Korea

Lastly, there are also some that are designated autonomous in what type of curriculum they have to offer. These are typically seen as elite institutions that are focused primarily on preparing students to get into the very top universities.

Therefore, lately, they are meeting a lot of scrutiny and criticism from the Korean administration, and they may end up getting converted into regular ones.

South Korean Highschool admission

For 60% of the high schools, admission happens based on a lottery system, similar to the middle school level. However, the rest have a highly competitive admission process, selecting students based on GPA, entrance exams, interviews, and recommendations by teachers.

What time do Korean students go to school?

A typical school day in a Korean high school begins at 8 am, and finishes between 4 pm and 4:50 pm .

Korean high school schedule

Each class runs for 50 minutes, as does the lunch break. Students usually remain in the same schoolroom for the duration of the day, with teachers rotating room to room based on which class they are teaching the subject to.

However, while the actual school day finishes in the late afternoon, it is normal for students to attend more classes, either at private academies or through tutoring sessions, until as late as midnight. Of course, they do get to have a dinner break in between.

Thus, it is not uncommon to hear of students studying as much as 16 hours on some days.

Subjects in Korean high schools

The subjects taught in regular school are largely the same as the subjects in middle school education. In the 11th and 12th grades,  students additionally get to choose elective subjects to learn. These include various sciences like physics, chemistry, geography, even economics or politics, or foreign languages.

Vocational education

Meanwhile, in vocational schools, the students study the standard academic curriculum for the first year before moving on to studies specializing in their choice of vocational field. These include agriculture, business, fishery, engineering, technology, and marine transportation.

Most vocational schools use modules developed by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, the Ministry of Education.

By graduating from vocational schools, students do still have access to universities, but fewer choose to pursue such a path. Instead, they are more inclined to choose a shorter program at junior colleges.

Meister schools (Vocational Education Programs)

4% of high school-aged students in South Korea also currently attend school programs known as Meister schools. It’s a type of vocational school where students learn about industries such as banking, social services, dentistry, and semiconductor development.

The curriculum at these vocational secondary schools is conducted in cooperation with local companies, lectures offered by experts in the industries, and internships included in the study programs.

These vocational schools exist as an effort by the Korean government to push more students into the labor market directly from high school. Therefore, graduates from Meister schools are not allowed to enter university until after working for at least three years.

However, upon completing the three years of full-time work, it’s easier for them to have a university degree in comparison to their peers.

University in South Korea

In South Korea today, university graduates from prestigious universities like the Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea are still at advantage, since where a student has graduated from still holds a lot of importance in hunting for a job.

University admission

Universities accept students based on their test scores from admission exams. However, other means of admission to universities are also considered.

수능 (Suneung)

To enter, students must complete the Suneung (수능) exam, officially known as the “National University College Scholastic Ability Test.” In total, the exam lasts for 8 hours, is mostly constructed of multiple-choice questions, and allows access to apply for three universities.

This exam takes place each November, and it is such a major national event that even businesses will open later that day to ensure that every student taking the exam will be able to get to the testing site on time. Even air traffic is suspended as the students take the listening part of the examination.

There are nine subjects tested during the exam, with the students having some options of which subjects they will take the exam in. The Korean language is the only subject that is mandatory for everyone. This exam is seen as one of the toughest university education entrance exams in the world.

Other ways of admission to a university

Although the Suneung exam is of major importance, universities additionally look at various other criteria when choosing their students. These include university-specific admission tests, high school GPA, recommendation letters, and more.

The Korean government, on the other hand, is trying to push the universities to emphasize the Suneung exam over other criteria in their student selection process.

Additionally, the government is also requiring special admissions of students from rural areas. This is because they have less access to private tutoring and academies, which in turn result in lower score results from Suneung, putting them otherwise at disadvantage with university admission.

University degrees and higher education

Bachelor’s degrees take four years to complete and can follow up with master’s degrees lasting two years and doctoral degrees. In the case of a doctoral degree, it may be constructed together with a master’s degree, or it may be a separate degree.

Alternatively, it is possible to obtain a shorter associate degree from junior colleges. Most students in Korea try to achieve some sort of higher education before starting their working lives .

Universities in South Korea

There are more than 400 universities, junior colleges, and other higher education institutions in South Korea at the present time. The vast majority of the most prestigious universities are located in the capital area, including universities such as Yonsei University and Korea University.

Tuition fees are roughly $8,500 USD per year, although the specific figure depends on the university and department, with various scholarships available for South Korean and foreign students.

Specialized universities

Most universities comprise multiple departments, ranging from business to technology. However, some specialized universities exist as well, with KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) as the most notable one of them. This university also ranks 22nd in the World University Rankings.

Each degree comprises core subjects mandatory for every student, elective general subjects, and then both mandatory and elective subjects focused around the major. A student must complete 130 credits to qualify for graduation.

International Schools in Korea

There are also international schools in South Korea . There are more than 40 international schools to accommodate qualified international students, as well as Korean students. However, enrolling in an international school is not open to everyone.

To be qualified as a student in international schools, one must either be a Korean national who has lived abroad for at least three years or the student must be a child of a foreign national.

And that would be the Korean education system and school in South Korea in a nutshell! If you have plans to go to Korea to study, learning the language beforehand will greatly help. We have structured online courses designed to help you learn Korean in just 90 days. Learn more about it here !

How does the system of education in South Korea compare to your country’s? Do you also have plans to study at universities like Seoul National University or Korea University? How much of this content did you already know, and what was new information? Let us know below in the comments!

If you have plans to live and study in South Korea , learning a bit more about life in Korea will help. We have an article dedicated to it here .

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South Korean education ranks high, but it’s the kids who pay

Visiting Professor, Sungkyunkwan University

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In Korea, perhaps more so than anywhere else, educational success equals socioeconomic status. South Koreans view education as the main driver of social mobility, for themselves and their family. Graduating from a top university is the ultimate marker of high status and the pressure is on from an early age.

Competition and studying hard to be the best is deeply ingrained in the psyche of Korean students; the entire environment surrounding the child (parents, family, and teachers) is actively involved and geared towards the same goal: to be test-ready and succeed. Students have a clear path and a clear purpose in mind at the start of their educational journey.

Why do South Korean students consistently dominate league tables?

According to global expert on education reform Sir Michael Barber , Korean culture “prizes effort above inherited ‘smartness’”, and believes long hours studying and hard work will eventually pay off.

Research has found the attitudes and strong beliefs of Asian parents make an important contribution to their children’s academic success. Researchers from Stanford University say Asian children find motivation to succeed in parental expectations.

Australian children with East Asian parents outperform their Australian peers , with researchers finding East Asian children spent 15 hours a week studying after school (9 hours for Australians), and have a stronger work ethic and higher aspirations (94% of them expect to go on to university).

Experts and heads of state, from US President Barack Obama to former Australian prime minister, Julia Gillard, often cite Finnish schools or the “Asian Model” as the panacea to improve our education systems.

The fact that American children “spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea” will, according to Obama, in “no way prepare them for a 21st-century economy”. This belief seems to increasingly resonate in the corridors of power in many parts of the educational world.

Is the South Korean educational model replicable?

“To be a South Korean child ultimately is not about freedom, personal choice or happiness; it is about production, performance and obedience,” argued Yale academic See-Wong Koo . This statement seems miles away from recent reports by education company Pearson and the OECD placing South Korea at the top of the education league tables.

While Finland is considered a non-competitive system of education , South Korea’s is often described as very stressful, authoritarian, brutally competitive and meritocratic. It emphasises high pressure and high performance, particularly for the 640,621 students who took the eight-hour long suneung (College Scholastic Ability Test) nationwide in November 2014.

This event is critical in the life of South Korean families - entry to one of the three most prestigious “SKY” universities (Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei) will basically determine social status for most of their lives and will secure a highly-paid job in one of the chaebols (family-owned business conglomerates).

Education at all levels and particularly in science and engineering, is viewed as a key to upward mobility in the still highly stratified Korean society. As a consequence, a new phenomenon has emerged in recent years: Dwaeji Omma , or “Pig Mums”.

A Pig Mum does her research thoroughly and keeps her eyes on the ultimate target: a Korean Ivy-league university for her child and her “adopted” children (those belonging to her Pig Mum network); she plans every step of her kid’s educational journey and all the extracurricular (studying) activities, attends all the best schools’ open days, organises strategic planning reunions, bullies, lobbies and even bribes private schools and private teachers to skip admission lines if necessary.

Should South Korea’s system be adopted to remedy Western education’s ailments?

The intense pressure to succeed no matter the cost is taking its financial and social toll: as university places are limited, Koreans spend over $18 trillion won (A$20 billion), around 20% of household income to pay for after-school private academies called hakwon . 75% of all children attend a hakwon, mainly at DaeJi Dong , Seoul’s study Mecca.

Research has found that Asian-American students are more likely to have conflicted relationships with their parents over unmet expectations and more self-image issues than white students.

The 2014 Youth Happiness Index found for instance that only 67.6% of Korean youth said they are satisfied with their life (OECD average is 85.8%), mostly because of study pressure.

The conclusion of a 2013 study was that Tiger Parenting (strict parenting, often in Asian cultures) is less effective and more demanding than a supportive parenting environment.

South Korea has one of the highest rates of suicide (28.9%) in the OECD . South Korean novelist Young Ha Kim wrote in an op-ed that suicide is the “No.1 cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 30”.

Korea also ranks among the highest for household debt, depression, divorce, and alcohol consumption. It has been argued South Korean education produces overachieving students who pay a stiff price in health and happiness.

Neither does a focus on credentials, tests and entrance exams give South Korean students the skills (like creativity and teamwork) to succeed in higher education or in an increasingly difficult local job market .

So while other countries may envy South Korea’s positions in the league tables, there are cultural factors that mean this focus on hard work probably can’t be replicated elsewhere, and given the societal collateral damage, probably wouldn’t want to.

Further reading on what Australia can learn from education abroad.

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Korean Education System: Why Is It Good And How It Works?

Every parent is concerned about their child’s education and pitched battles occur between parents and schools about the right way for students to learn..

Some of these conflicts are quite intense, especially over hot-button issues, such as controversial topics, homework, and standardized testing, similarly related to 2018 K-drama Sky Castle . With a push for students to achieve more in their education, many parents have begun to look to the South Korean education system for inspiration in order to find effective ways of improving their children’s education. In this article, we’ll take a look at the Korean education system, what makes it effective, and how it works in order to see what education systems around the world can learn from it.

So, what can we say about education in South Korea?

Going the Extra Mile

South Korea’s education system is one of the strongest in the world, but it is also one of the most difficult.

Read More: Who Are You: School 2015 Conveys Valuable Life Lessons

The country is famous for the intensity of its education system. Students move through school with a sense of purpose because they are highly motivated toward high achievement, and this desire for high achievement is reinforced by parents, who routinely expect exceptional performance from their kids. Parental involvement is one of the biggest factors shaping how students experience education in South Korea. On average, parents spend 15% of their income on supplementary services to help their children navigate the education system and achieve more. In fact, it is not unheard of for some families to devote 25% of their income in support of their children’s education.

So what are they buying with all that money? Parents are spending it on workbooks, supplementary materials, night classes, and private tutors. South Korean students attend classes in school from 9 AM to 5 PM, and many then go to night courses or work with tutors until 10 PM. Sometimes there is so much homework that students are in lack of time for simple things such as restful sleep, time with family or friends, that is why it is better to come to  custom essay writing  to free up some time.

This single-minded focus on achieving results measurable by standardized testing means that South Korean students are sacrificing their free time and their childhoods to ensure they squeeze every last point out of their test results.

Benefits of Korean Education System

While the practices described in the previous abstract may seem somewhat over the top, it is worth remembering, that they truly give results.

• Korean students are welcome in universities around the world. South Korean students are much more successful in dealing with any kind of standard tests like GCSE than their western counterparts. That is why many quality universities around the world are interested in students from South Korea.
• Education features a free market. While a grinding system is also rather popular in China, South Korean education is much more “free market” and international oriented. Students are strongly motivated to integrate with different educational and labor processes worldwide.
• STEM disciplines are prioritized. The South Korean educational system doesn’t live in the past, it lives in the future. Students spend more hours on math, technology, robotics, and similar disciplines than students in any other country around the globe.
• Classes are well-equipped. Of course, we cannot say it about every school and every class in South Korea, but the average level of educational facilities is impressive. It helps students stay in touch with the latest tech developments and study more efficiently.
• The system evolves. While the earlier South Korean system was fully focused on rating and standard test results, now the curriculum includes classes featuring emotional intelligence, rules of well-being, and psychological hygiene.

Still, to benefit from this system, being a pupil and later a student, you need to work more than many adults ever will work in their lives.

High Tech Schools

South Korean schools also make great use of technology to help keep their students on the cutting edge of education. Technology has helped to make education more efficient. Gone are the days when students had to be physically present in a classroom to learn. Now, lectures can be delivered online and tests are often administered over the internet. With technology reshaping education, South Korean schools have been at the forefront of adapting to the changing environment.

The schools in South Korea are global leaders in the integration of smart technology. The use of these advanced teaching aids allows teachers, for example, to tailor their curriculum to the individual learning styles and special needs of individual students. This allows teachers to add more visuals for students who are visual learners, enhance lessons with audio extras for those who are auditory learners, and provide individualized activities geared to each student’s skill level and knowledge base.

A Culture of Academic Excellence

Throughout South Korea, a culture of academic excellence is nearly universal. At the end of their high school careers, students sit for a national exam that determines the college they will attend and thus their potential futures. Because this exam is all-important, preparing for it is a national priority, and this in turn leads students and parents to see academic excellence as an essential prerequisite for success. The test is so serious and important, that the entire country shifts its habits and activities to accommodate the exam. Airspace over exam centers is closed to air traffic during the annual exam period to avoid even the minor disturbance of a distant airplane engine rumble.

But overall, what sets South Korea apart is its top-to-bottom support for education, schools, and teachers. South Korea takes pride in its education system, and its teachers are seen as heroes. If other localities elevated teachers to the same high-status role, then it would help to encourage an upward quality spiral in education rather than the downward spiral of demoralization and budget cuts that so many countries are currently experiencing.

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Korean Students Study Routine (Realistic Daily Routine)

Korean students are known for their high achievements. One of the main reasons that Korean students do so well in school is that they are devoted to their study routine. 

After school, an American student is likely to do their homework, but they will also devote time to friends, family, and activities. Korean students barely socialize for fun, as they spend most of their time after school studying. 

Are you curious to know more about Korean students’ study routines? You’ve come to the right page. Today, we’re going to break down what you should know about how Koreans study and if this type of routine will help you get better grades. Keep reading to learn more.

A Korean Student’s Day At School

The education system in South Korea is very competitive. This puts a lot of pressure on Korean students to always deliver their best performance.

For that reason, they study a lot more than students in other cultures. Let’s take a look at the timetable for a typical Korean high school student.

• The first class starts at 8 am (this varies depending on the school).
• Classes will be approximately 50 minutes each.
• There will be a 50-minute lunches break, as well as a mid-morning and mid-afternoon break.
• Afternoon classes run until 4 or 430 pm.
• Students will spend approximately 20 to 30 minutes cleaning the classroom.
• Some students will attend a night school class or extra class after hours.
• There will be a break for the students where they can return home to eat dinner or grab dinner at the school. 
• After dinner, students will attend private school, tutoring sessions, or return to the school library to study. 
• Most Korean high school students finish studying between 10 pm and midnight.

How Many Hours A Day Do Korean Students Study?

Results are very important to Korean students. Pair that with a very demanding education system, and you will see students that spend the majority of their days studying. 

The average Korean student will dedicate 12 to 16 hours of their day to their studies. However, many Korean students will study more than that to stay ahead of the class.

The South Korean education system is very demanding, which keeps the students on the tip of their toes. 

There is a very high level of competitiveness that drives these students to study as much as they can. Korean students have many things that push them into studying a lot, including the desire to attend a high-level university or simply beating their friends’ marks on the next exam.

Teachers and parents in South Korea are also known for pushing their kids to do better. This prevents the students from allowing themselves to fall behind. 

When it comes to the education system in Korea, it’s very goal-orientate. Students can expect to be tested on their subjects of study frequently, so they want to always be prepared.

Not only is it custom for Korean students to spend the majority of their evening studying or attending a private school, but many of these students wake up early to get some studying accomplished before they head to school for the day.

What Are Tips For Studying Like a Korean Student

Korean students are known for their high achievements. It’s believed that this high level of studying has played a substantial role in helping to boost South Korea’s economy. 

Whether you want to attend a school in South Korea or you want to be more disciplined with your studies, you may be wondering how to study like a Korean student.

Schedule Time

Korean students do really well in school, and it’s no surprise given that they spend the majority of their time studying. If you want to study like a Korean student, you will need to focus a lot of your time and energy on it. This means that you will need to be committed, but more importantly, you will need to schedule time in for studying.

If you were to examine the agenda of the average South Korean high school student, you would notice everything is mapped out precisely. This schedule includes:

• Morning routine before school
• Before school studying
• Morning classes
• Lunch break
• Afternoon classes
• (Optional) after school class
• Dinner break
• Study or tutoring
• 1 to 2 hours of leisure time

Of course, your schedule will vary depending on what your lifestyle includes. It’s more common for American students to have after-school activities or after-school jobs that they are committed to. 

If you do, you shouldn’t cancel these just to spend more time studying, as your school curriculum likely doesn’t require you to.

Find Like-Minded Friends

If you want to devote more time to study, then it can help if you have a friend or two with the same goal. Of course, this is something you can do on your own, but having a study buddy can help keep you motivated. This will help to keep you focused so you don’t get distracted by things that will seem more entertaining at the moment.

Want to know another reason why having a study buddy helps? Korean students are very competitive. Seeing who has the better results can keep both of you in a friendly competition that will boost your grades.

Test Yourself Often

If you were to spend time around Korean students studying, you may notice that they don’t rely solely on the notes they have taken. Korean students are very involved with how they study. A few hours of studying at night isn’t just reviewing everything in the book. Instead, they will take time to test themselves to ensure they’re understanding everything accurately.

Is Studying Like a Korean Student Worth It?

Once a Korean student is in middle school, their workload will begin to get heavier and classes will become a more competitive environment. However, once they transition to high school, the competitiveness of school gets even more intense. These students have to work very hard just to stay afloat in class.

South Korea has some of the best schools in Asia with the highest results . The students who graduate from these schools are able to attend good universities and obtain high-paying jobs. These high results have come at a cost though. South Korea has a very high rate of teen suicides and the number one reason is academic pressure.

Final Thoughts

Did you know that the Korean students’ study routine has these kids busy all day? The average Korean student spends between 12 and 17 hours each day devoted to their studies. They are usually in class for 8 to 8.5 hours, with a lunch break. 

After school they will take a short dinner break, then they will head back to the school library or a private tutor for more.

The South Korean education system is very demanding. Students need to stay focused and spend a lot of time reviewing the material they’ve learned and testing themselves to make sure they can keep up. 

Many Korean students are competitive with one another when they have study groups. On top of that, they have parents and teachers placing pressure upon them to do well in school. 

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The Countries Where Kids Do The Most Homework

Does your kid complain about endless hours of homework? If you live in Italy , those complaints could reach fever-pitch! According to research conducted by the OECD, 15-year old children in Italy have to contend with nearly 9 hours of homework per week - more than anywhere else in the world. Irish children have the second highest after-school workload - just over 7 hours each week. In the United States , about 6.1 hours of a 15-year old's week are sacrificed for the sake of homework. In Asia, children have very little to complain about. Japanese students have to deal with 3.8 hours of homework per week on average while in South Korea, it's just 2.9 hours.

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This chart shows hours of homework per week in selected countries.

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Students in these countries spend the most time doing homework

Teens in Shanghai spend 14 hours a week on homework, while students in Finland spend only three. And although there  are some educational theorists who argue for  reducing or abolishing homework, more homework seems to be helping students with test scores.

That’s according to a new report on  data the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development collected from countries  and regions that participate in a standardized test  to measure academic achievement for 15-year-olds, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

(It should be noted that while Shanghai scored highest on the 2012 PISA mathematics test, Shanghai is not representative of all of mainland China, and the city received criticism for only testing a subset of 15-year-olds to skew scores higher.)

While there are likely many other factors that contribute to student success, homework assigned can be an indicator of PISA test scores for individuals and individual schools, the report notes. In the individual schools in some regions—Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, and Singapore—that earned the highest math scores  (pdf, pg. 5) in 2012, students saw an increase of 17 score points or more per extra hour of homework.

The report also notes, however, that while individuals may benefit from homework, a school system’s overall performance relies more on other factors, such as instructional quality and how schools are organized.

On average, teachers assign 15-year-olds around world about five hours of homework each week. But those average hours don’t necessarily tell the whole story. Across countries, students spending less time on homework aren’t necessarily studying less—in South Korea, for example, 15-year-olds spend about three hours on homework a week, but they spend an additional 1.4 hours per week with a personal tutor, and 3.6 hours in after-school classes , well above the OECD average for both, according to the OECD survey.

Within countries, the amount of time students spend on homework varies based on family income: Economically advantaged students spend an average of 1.6 hours more on homework per week than economically disadvantaged students. This might be because wealthier students are likely have the resources for a quiet place to study at home, and may get more encouragement and emphasis on their studies from parents, writes Marilyn Achiron , editor for OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills.

It should also be noted that this list only includes countries that take the PISA exam, which mostly consists of OECD member countries, and it also includes countries that are  OECD partners with “enhanced engagement,”  such as parts of China and Russia.

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Studying in South Korea: The University System Explained

James is senior content marketing manager at BridgeU. He writes and directs content for BridgeU's university partners and our community of international schools

• What are the benefits of studying in South Korea

South Korean academics

• How to apply to South Korean universities

Studying in South Korea: expenses & funding

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An increasing number of international students are choosing to study in South Korea for university. Here’s everything you need to know about why it’s such a popular option and how to apply to Korean universities.

Do you have students asking about how to apply to Korean universities? We’re not surprised.

With one of the world’s highest-educated workforces and a  top OECD ranking  for scholastic achievement, South Korea is a country that has been globally recognised for its education system.

And in recent years, the country has become hugely popular with international students.

In 2014, fewer than 85,000 international students were studying at university in South Korea, a number which has been steadily increasing to meet  a target of 200,000 by 2023 : pre-COVID-19,  South Korea had around 160,000 international students . That’s almost twice as many students in just five years!

At BridgeU, we’ve seen this change first hand. In our recent report we found that amongst BridgeU students graduating in 2021, South Korea experienced an increase in popularity of 52% year-on-year.

But as a relatively new international destination, many students might not know where to start when it comes to how to apply to Korean universities, or what studying in South Korea is really like.

So, in this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the South Korean education system, the benefits of studying there, and how you can help your students apply to Korean universities.

Free eBook: The Ultimate Guide to Studying in Asia

To learn more about requirements, application procedures, student life and funding in South Korea and other popular international destinations in Asia, download our comprehensive guide.

What are the benefits of studying in South Korea?

World-renowned universities.

South Korea is one of the top ranking study destinations in Asia, with 39 universities in this year’s  QS World University Rankings . In particular, degrees from the prestigious “SKY” universities are well respected all over the world. These universities are all based in Korea’s capital, Seoul:

Seoul National University

Korea university, yonsei university.

But rankings aren’t everything. South Korea has a number of different types of university, offering a variety of courses in both Korean and English. We’ll go into more detail on these below.

A vibrant and welcoming home for international students

As we mentioned above, the South Korean government is actively trying to increase the number of international students in the country. Because of this, international students are given increased financial and employment support throughout their degrees.

What’s more, many South Korean universities offer a large number of English-taught programmes where proficiency in the Korean language is not required.

Plus, South Korea offers a brilliant quality of life for students. It even contains the third best student city in the entire world: Seoul. Daejeon also makes the top 100, at 78.

It’s no surprise that students so love living in this country, given all the exciting leisure activities on offer: karaoke, impressive cinemas, theme parks, museums, skiing and more!

Affordability

Tuition fees for international students in South Korea are quite affordable. In fact, in many institutions tuition fees are the same for international students as for domestic students, and there are a lot of scholarship options available. We’ll go into more detail on fees and scholarships a little later in this blog post.

As well as tuition fees, living costs in South Korea are also relatively low, with accommodation, food and transportation being much cheaper than in other countries. 

A culture of innovation

South Korea is Asia’s fourth largest economy (after China,  Japan  and India), and is home to some of the world’s biggest technology companies – Samsung, KPMG, and Hyundai, to name a few. The country’s expertise in IT and robotics makes it a great destination for any students interested in this sector.

Rich heritage and natural beauty

South Korea is bursting with variety, culture and intrigue as much in its landscape as in it history. 

During downtime, students can explore national parks and forests filled with wildlife, find tranquility in Buddhist temples or snow-capped mountain peaks, or even head out to a nearby island for a change of air and pace.

Of course, the principal reason for studying anywhere is to  study . It’s important that students know all about academic life in the destinations they’re considering before they decide where to apply. Again, our  Ultimate Guide to Studying in Asia  can be really helpful with that, as can the free BridgeU platform. 

The academic culture in South Korea

While education in South Korea used to closely resemble China’s quite rigid, teacher-led approach, over the past couple of decades its system has modernised and loosened somewhat, allowing for more independent learning.

Nevertheless, South Korea’s reputation for academic excellence doesn’t come without work, so students should be prepared to take on a full workload and manage their time carefully.

It’s also worth being aware that South Korean universities use the American credit system, which requires students to earn a minimum amount to graduate. Often, students can take on majors and minors, too, tailoring their degrees to their interests.

The academic calendar in South Korea

The academic year in South Korea is usually split into two semesters.

The first begins in mid-February and ends mid-June, while the second starts at the end of August or early September and lasts until mid-December when exams begin.

Degrees typically last four years. 

The different types of South Korean university

South Korea has a wide range of national and private, academic and vocational institutions:

Research universities

The most prestigious types of institution, research universities in South Korea are divided into:

• Public universities, which are funded by central government
• Local universities, which are funded by local government
• Private universities, which are funded by private non-profit educational foundations

Industrial Universities

Industrial universities offer more vocational qualifications than research universities, but also award bachelor’s degrees. Tuition fees are invariably lower than research universities. Again, industrial universities are a combination of public and private institutions.

Junior Colleges

Junior colleges offer technical qualifications and many degree programmes at South Korean junior colleges last two to three years. The types of courses offered by junior colleges include early childhood education, nursing, home economics, agriculture, engineering and business administration.

Universities of Education

These are universities designed to provide teacher training, offering mainly four year degree qualifications.

Cyber Universities

These universities predominantly offer degrees online, and have been increasing in popularity since they were founded in 2004. Cyber universities offer a combination of bachelor’s degrees and associate degrees.

International student accommodation 

Of course, where students can actually live will factor considerably into their higher education decisions. Luckily, in South Korea they have lots of great options!

The most popular student accommodation option in South Korea is the goshiwon, a shared accommodation which both domestic and international students tend to favour.

Rooms are usually single and quite tight, but other spaces (like the kitchen and sometimes bathroom) are shared between a group.

Essentially, it’s quite similar to dorms in the USA or halls in the UK, except it’s usually privately owned.

University accommodation

There are also other types of shared accommodation provided by both universities and private landlords, with rooms ranging from single to four people. University-owned options tend to be cheapest, although there’s quite a range in fees depending on students’ choices and the city.

However, both university-owned accommodation and goshiwons can have quite strict rules in place regarding things like guests, curfews or even whether students can eat/cook in their rooms.

Studio apartments and officetels

A roomier, slightly pricier option is to find a one-bedroom apartment or ‘officetel’. In this case, students won’t have extra rules to abide by, but they will have to make their own arrangements for electricity, WiFi and so on. Luckily, they’re usually at least partly if not fully furnished.

Shared houses

Students looking to save money without sacrificing on freedom can also look into shared houses, which are common in South Korea, and welcoming to international students.

How to apply to Korean universities

Unfortunately, there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how to apply to Korean universities: students apply to each institution directly, and each one has slightly different application criteria.

How to apply to Korean universities: application deadlines

The South Korean academic year starts in March, but many universities admit new students twice a year, in March and September. Application deadlines vary, but are usually around 4-6 months before the start of the semester.

How to apply to Korean universities: required documents

As we mentioned above, each university sets its own requirements. Broadly speaking, students applying to study in South Korea will need the following:

• University-specific application form (this can usually be done online)
• Academic transcripts
• Letter of recommendation
• Proof of finances (showing they are able to support themselves financially throughout their studies)

Once they have been accepted to a South Korean university, international students will also need a D-2 visa. They can get this from a South Korean embassy or consulate in their home country.

How to apply to Korean universities: language requirements

A big consideration when guiding students on how to apply to Korean universities is the language proficiency procedures. Students are planning to take an English-taught course have to provide proof of their English-language proficiency when applying.

If they are applying for a course taught in Korean (or a mixture of English and Korean), they must also take a Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).

How to apply to Korean universities: standardised tests

Depending on the country your students are applying from, they may be asked to take standardised tests such as the SAT or ACT. While some universities will only ask for grades and scores, others will also ask students to take interviews and extra aptitude tests.

Once again, students should check the requirements of their chosen institution(s) carefully before applying – we told you there wasn’t one single answer on how to apply to Korean universities!

A big question when students are considering where to apply is how much their education, accommodation and living expenses will cost. If you have students considering studying in South Korea, these are some of the expenses they can expect. 

Tuition fees while studying in South Korea

As we mentioned, international students often pay the same fees as domestic students in South Korea. Amounts vary between institutions and even within them, with certain subjects costing more. Still, they’re all relatively affordable: yearly tuition fees tend to fall between 2,500 – 4,000 USD. This is much cheaper than countries like the USA, which can cost up to 50,000 USD per year!

Scholarship options when studying in South Korea

There are a lot of financial aid options for international students who plan on studying in South Korea.

South Korean scholarships comprise a mix of government funding, and scholarships provided by the universities themselves. We can’t share them all in this post, but here are some notable scholarships offered by some of the most well-known universities in South Korea.

The Global Korea Scholarship

This is a scholarship offered  by the Korean government  for international students who are interested in studying in South Korea. The scholarship covers tuition fees and living expenses, including flight tickets to South Korea. The scholarship is applicable for students studying at any university affiliated with the program. The application dates for this scholarship are October-November.

Seoul National University offers the  Overseas Koreans Scholarship  for overseas Korean students who wish to take undergraduate degrees at SNU. It covers tuition fees and living expenses, medical insurance, and the cost of one economy flight round trip to South Korea.

Students must submit their applications between February and March and must apply through the Korean embassy in their country in the first instance (Korean embassies review the first round of applications).

Yonsei University is another institution based in Seoul and offers a number of merit and need-based scholarships for international students. The university offers  scholarships as a whole , and its subsidiaries – Underwood International College and Global Leaders College – also give their own scholarships.

Korea University has a  range of scholarships  in a range of disciplines. Students have two windows to apply for financial aid, August-October and February-April.

KAIST University

A leading science and technology university,  KAIST offers several scholarships  for students, based on different factors including income and academic excellence. Some include full tuition fee and contributions towards living expenses of 350 KRW per month, and national health insurance coverage. Again, there are two application windows, one running from September to October, and November to January.

Kyung Hee University

This university is very well known for its medical school. It offers  a number of scholarships  that cover 30%, 50% & 70% of tuition fees.

Hanyang University

Hanyang University has  three scholarships for international students , each covering about 70% of the cost of tuition fees. Students can apply online through the university’s website, and there are two application windows – one in September and one in April.

Inha University

Inha University is well known for its Engineering undergraduate degree program and offers  fully-funded scholarships  for undergraduate students.

Help your students research and apply to university in South Korea

To make sure your students have all the essential knowledge about studying in South Korea, as well as four of the other most popular internationals study destinations in Asia, make sure you download your free copy of The Ultimate Guide to Studying in Asia ! 

It outlines key areas including academic culture, student life, entry requirements and processes, fees and funding and accommodation so that students can make informed decisions, and create the best possible applications.

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• #Homework Around The World Infographic
• #Homework Infographic

Homework Around The World Infographic

The amount of homework children do varies wildly from nation to nation. More homework doesn't necessarily mean a better education. According to the Homework Around The World Infographic, created by Ozicare Life Insurance , the countries that offer the best education systems around the world don't always dole out piles of homework to students. While the effects are not entirely predictable, it seems that leaving kids time to play and learn on their own initiative may reap greater rewards. In South Korea, which leads the world in education, students receive less than three hours’ worth of assignments each week.

Of course, there are many other factors at play, but it’s worth noting that countries handing out significantly more homework – such as Italy (8.7 hours) and Russia (9.7 hours) – tend to find themselves outside of the top-10 table of educators. While schools are supposed to be cathedrals of discipline and knowledge, in the broader realm of education there are no hard-and-fast rules.

Each nation’s education system develops in tandem with new international ideas and trends. At the same time, decisions regarding homework and extra-curricular activities must take account of the cultural idiosyncrasies, economics and political context of each country. What works in one place may not work in another; neither, of course, will each student respond to a system in the same way.

The United State’s average spend per school student is greater than any other country’s. And yet they lag behind as the 17th best education system in the world. Is it over-crowded classrooms, lack of innovation or lack of diversity that’s letting down the US’s school kids? Or is it their demanding 6.1 hours of homework per week? Maybe it’s a combination of these and other factors. There’s certainly no magic-bullet solution.

All the elements of education need to be tailored for different environments and individuals. But it’s instructive to consider those education systems that work well and those that don’t – including how much homework they assign their students.

• How Homework Affects Students Infographic
• Pros and Cons of Homework Infographic
• 5 Ways to Make Homework Fun for Kids Infographic

Matador Original Series

Studying In South Korea: An English Teacher Asks How Much Is Too Much

There was a moment when I thought I might get some honest answers.

“I spend too much time at school,” the discussion book read. “I want to spend more time playing with my friends, but my mom makes me spend all my free time studying.”

I’ve been teaching English to this class of Korean 5th graders for months, and we’ve all gotten comfortable. I was thinking, wow, maybe we can really talk about the intense studying kids do in Korea . Alas, as in many other situations I’ve encountered living here, I was way off.

“No,” they chorused. “We don’t think so.”

“You don’t think you spend too much time studying?” I asked.

“Not too much, Teacher, just normal.” Another added, “A lot of time studying is good.”

I probed further, “So you don’t want to spend more time playing with your friends, instead of studying?”

The oldest girl in my class thought for a few seconds, searching for the words. “No, Teacher. Not more time with my friends; playing with my computer is more fun. Studying a lot is good.”

Sigh. We just see things so differently.

The way I see it, studying in South Korea is out of control. Kindergartners are immersed in English five hours a day, moving through phonics, spelling, and grammar books higher than their level. At the private academy I work in, kids can start full-time, formal education as young as 3 years old. Forget naps, playing and snack time, we’re getting you ready for Harvard. All of you.

But it’s not enough that students just be good at English. Most kids attend Korean public school and then spend hours at private academies on nights and weekends. They study science, math, Chinese characters, Japanese, or literature. Most add piano, swimming, tae kwon do or art classes to fill any potential free time they might have.

I once mapped out the weekly schedules with a 1st grade class, and most of them easily had 7 different extra classes to attend each week. It’s hard for me to comprehend being in class so much at that age, but it’s extremely common. Kids attend schools so late that a law was recently passed prohibiting schools from having class past 10 pm, although it’s routinely broken.

When I was young, 5 or 6 pm would have been a late day at school. To comply with the new Korean law, a number of schools now start classes earlier in the morning. It of course sidesteps the issue that students are spending really long days in class. How do they keep up with it all?

Perhaps they are not handling it well, but there is a lot of pressure to be successful and kids are forced to respond to it. In the pas sixty years, South Korea has grown from a war-torn country to the world’s 15th largest economy. It’s no small feat, and Koreans are very proud of this progress.

I don’t think my students’ parents that went to school with limited heat and food would agree with me that their children should work less . After all, they’re the ones signing them up for all the classes. But at what point is the desire for the next generation’s success getting out of hand? Can I be the only one noticing the kids’ struggle?

I think many of the students are feeling stuck, but only some are comfortable admitting that they don’t like it. I see it in the diaries they write me each week. They write about staying up until the middle of the night to study and getting hit when they don’t do well enough on tests. A girl complained about her mom making extra homework and tests for her after she finished her schoolwork.

Quite boldly one day, a friendly 5th grade girl wrote in her diary: “Why Korean students study too hard? In Korean parents’ story, some of the parents just play after the school. Before they play all day but now, it’s not. It is opposite. Now, students go academy after school. In vacation, too. Please… can you just see what we do? We want to play! We don’t want to be studying machine!”

It think a lot of students feel like this, but it’s just not popular to say.

Her description of being a studying machine is an apt analogy. About four months into the school year, my kindergarten supervisor told us she needed “output”. The parents wanted to see what their students were accomplishing. My expat co-workers and I cocked our heads in confusion, wondering what 5-year-olds’ “output” would look like. I pictured my mom’s Christmas tree and my “output” hung on it: a red macaroni noodle picture frame with my smiling 5-year old face in the center.

That is not at all what my supervisor had in mind.

We were soon given three hundred page Curious George books to practice so the students could read to their moms from them each weekend. Then, we were given the sentences they’d memorize and recite. Three book reviews were due each Wednesday. Every Thursday there was a twenty word spelling test, and it didn’t stop there.

Most of the kindergardeners produced their “output”. The ones whose moms spoke English or hired private tutors, that is. Others were embarrassed they couldn’t do the work or just skipped school. My job was to push them harder. More output.

One student was falling asleep in class one morning, and I pushed her to keep reading until she admitted she stayed up until 1 am finishing her homework. I tried insisting she go lay down and take a nap, but her pride made her resist. It was just another hard day’s work for her.

I’m lost knowing how to deal with these situations because my own experiences contrast starkly with theirs. Growing up I loved going to school. I remember watching butterfly cocoons hatch, taking art projects home to hang on the fridge, and looking forward to summer vacations with friends. We had real vacations from school – there was no studying. Extra classes were for trouble makers or maybe the nerds. I couldn’t have dreamed of being at school until 10 pm.

So now as a teacher, I want to help my students learn the best way I know how. The idealist in me wants them to love learning too. For me it’s not about perfect scores but the progress you can’t measure, like kids’ increasing confidence and their making new friends.

I try hard to teach so my students to enjoy learning, but the system almost makes this impossible. The Korean system values long hours, a heavy workload, and cramming in as much information as possible. It’s awfully hard to get kids excited when so many of them already feel tired and burnt out.

This is the hardest part of my job: finding a balance when I’m caught between value systems. In many ways I’ve learned to adapt to the system. I can get my kids to fill out twenty pages in a workbook in 45 minutes and keep the 4th grade boys in their seats after a ten-hour school day.

I still can’t rationalize the excessive memorizing, studying, and writing my students have to do for my classes. I can’t ignore the pressure it puts them under. But if my students are right, and a lot of time studying is good, maybe it’s up to me to adapt. Like it or not, I’m part of the Korean school system – I do most of what’s expected of me. At least if I have kids someday, I’ll have plenty of reasons why they should never complain about school work.

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Living and studying in South Korea: FAQ

2. What language are the Korean lessons taught in?

Korean lessons are taught in Korean from day one. There are no schools or universities that offer courses in English, since the main goal is to offer a direct approach from the first day of class. Furthermore, students come from all over the world and the common language will become Korean. 

3. How do you find a home in South Korea? What is student accommodation like?

The most affordable accommodation for living and studying in South Korea is school dormitories. Each university offers its own dormitory on campus, with double or single rooms – based on availability – and a canteen that all students, both Korean and foreigners, can access.

Alternatives to the dormitory are share houses, apartments shared with Koreans and foreigners, and goshiwons – mini apartments that include a private room and a private bathroom. 

For more information visit our page on accommodation in South Korea.

4. Can I enroll for three months and extend my studies in Korea?

It depends on the type of course you are enrolling in and the type of visa with which you arrive in Korea. For those who have a D-4 student visa, it is possible to extend the registration for further quarters, while for those who enter Korea as a tourist the procedure is more complex. For information contact our staff.

5. How much would living and studying in South Korea cost?

Costs vary depending on the duration of the language course or accommodation. In general, the average cost of a three-month language course in Korea, including accommodation, is 2400 Euros. 

For six months it can be considered double, or around 4800 Euros, which includes your Korean language course and dormitory accommodation. 

6. Can I attend a language course in Korea with the Working Holiday visa?

Yes! The Working Holiday visa allows you to study at a language school in South Korea, while working part-time and/or traveling.

The purpose of the visa is specifically to live in Korea for a period of time, whether for a work experience or for a study or travel experience. With the Working Holiday visa you are not forced to register at a language school for the entire period of your stay. But you can also register for a short course and take advantage of the rest of the time by working or visiting the country. 

On the other hand, if your primary purpose is to study the language, we recommend that you contact us to apply for a D-4 student visa.

7. Can I study Korean in South Korea even if I am a beginner?

Yes, Korean courses are open to everyone. Teachers use drawings, pictures or very direct and repetitive methods at the beginning, so that everyone is able to memorize slowly. There is a lot of written and oral practice in class and everyone starts at the same level. 

8. I have already studied Korean in my home country. Do I have to start from scratch in South Korea?

Absolutely not! New students will take a placement test – a level test on the first day of school to check their level of Korean. Based on the test result, the teacher will evaluate which class to assign the student to. Check out our video to learn more about how Korean classes are structured .

9. I want to prepare for the TOPIK. Are there any specific courses in South Korea?

The language courses of the universities in Korea follow the topics and notions required by the TOPIK test , as well as the exercises in the classroom. However, there are schools that, in addition to the regular courses, offer extra lessons, dedicated exclusively to the preparation for the TOPIK. 

Contact us to find out which schools offer this option.

10. What are the requirements for enrolling in a language course in South Korea?

You must fill out an application form from the chosen school and provide a series of documents including the following: passport photo, high school or graduate diploma, report cards or list of university exams, bank statement, health insurance. Documents must be translated into English.

Requirements vary by school and course length, so we recommend that you contact us for detailed information on the school you are interested in.

11. Can I work part-time while living and studying in South Korea as a language student?

In Korea, part-time work is only possible after six months of a student visa. The first months are dedicated to studying and learning Korean. Those who go to study in Korea for periods of less than six months with a tourist visa cannot work. Only those who enter South Korea with a Working Holiday visa can work part-time from the day they arrive. Read our article about part-time jobs in Korea .

12. How do I find part-time work while living and studying in South Korea?

There are several Facebook groups or online job search ads. Sometimes you just need to ask in some restaurants or convenience stores if they are looking for staff. Remember that being able to speak Korean at a TOPIK 2 level is the minimum required to work part-time in Korea.

13. I am a vegetarian, can I survive in South Korea?

Of course, vegetarians can also eat well while living and studying in South Korea. Bibimbap ( 비빔밥 ) is usually only made from vegetables, unless it is bulgogi bibimbap. Then there are the kimbap ( 김밥 ), also known as Korean maki , or rice rolls stuffed with vegetables and wrapped in seaweed. 

There are also some types of noodles, such as memil guksu , or spicy tofu soup ( 순두부 찌개 sundubu jjigae ) which does not include meat or fish. Don’t forget about the bakeries and the sweet shops which are widespread in South Korea and  offer a delicious selection of sweets. Read our article about being vegetarian in Korea .

14. I have a very limited budget, but dream of living and studying in South Korea. What can I do?

There are courses of varying lengths and prices. You can opt for a course of a few weeks if you don’t have enough financial resources to study for the long term. Otherwise you can consider the Working Holiday visa, which requires a lower amount than the student visa, but which also allows you to work part-time in Korea immediately. On the other hand, if you are looking for a short course that combines language study with cultural activities, check out our Study Trip courses .

15. Is Go! Go! Hanguk a free service?

Go! Go! Hanguk is absolutely free for students. All that you will pay by using our services is the same administrative fees that you would pay if you were registering on your own. However, Go! Go! Hanguk also provides you with support for accommodation and other information relating to life in South Korea free of charge.

Read our article to find out what Go! Go! Hanguk is and how to learn Korean in Korea.

For more articles on living and studying in South Korea keep following the Go! Go! Hanguk blog or contact us for information.

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Ronna McDaniel, TV News and the Trump Problem

The former republican national committee chairwoman was hired by nbc and then let go after an outcry..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Today, the saga of Ronna McDaniel and NBC and what it reveals about the state of television news headed into the 2024 presidential race. Jim Rutenberg, a “Times” writer at large, is our guest.

It’s Monday, April 1.

Jim, NBC News just went through a very public, a very searing drama over the past week, that we wanted you to make sense of in your unique capacity as a longtime media and political reporter at “The Times.” This is your sweet spot. You were, I believe, born to dissect this story for us.

Oh, brother.

Well, on the one hand, this is a very small moment for a major network like NBC. They hire, as a contributor, not an anchor, not a correspondent, as a contributor, Ronna McDaniel, the former RNC chairwoman. It blows up in a mini scandal at the network.

But to me, it represents a much larger issue that’s been there since that moment Donald J. Trump took his shiny gold escalator down to announce his presidential run in 2015. This struggle by the news media to figure out, especially on television, how do we capture him, cover him for all of his lies, all the challenges he poses to Democratic norms, yet not alienate some 74, 75 million American voters who still follow him, still believe in him, and still want to hear his reality reflected in the news that they’re listening to?

Right. Which is about as gnarly a conundrum as anyone has ever dealt with in the news media.

Well, it’s proven so far unsolvable.

Well, let’s use the story of what actually happened with Ronna McDaniel and NBC to illustrate your point. And I think that means describing precisely what happened in this situation.

The story starts out so simply. It’s such a basic thing that television networks do. As elections get underway, they want people who will reflect the two parties.

They want talking heads. They want insiders. They want them on their payroll so they can rely on them whenever they need them. And they want them to be high level so they can speak with great knowledge about the two major candidates.

Right. And rather than needing to beg these people to come on their show at 6 o’clock, when they might be busy and it’s not their full-time job, they go off and they basically put them on retainer for a bunch of money.

Yeah. And in this case, here’s this perfect scenario because quite recently, Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee through the Trump era, most of it, is now out on the market. She’s actually recently been forced out of the party. And all the networks are interested because here’s the consummate insider from Trump world ready to get snatched up under contract for the next election and can really represent this movement that they’ve been trying to capture.

So NBC’S key news executives move pretty aggressively, pretty swiftly, and they sign her up for a $300,000 a year contributor’s contract.

Nice money if you can get it.

Not at millions of dollars that they pay their anchors, but a very nice contract. I’ll take it. You’ll take it. In the eyes of NBC execs she was perfect because she can be on “Meet the Press” as a panelist. She can help as they figure out some of their coverage. They have 24 hours a day to fill and here’s an official from the RNC. You can almost imagine the question that would be asked to her. It’s 10:00 PM on election night. Ronna, what are the Trump people thinking right now? They’re looking at the same numbers you are.

That was good, but that’s exactly it. And we all know it, right? This is television in our current era.

So last Friday, NBC makes what should be a routine announcement, but one they’re very proud of, that they’ve hired Ronna McDaniel. And in a statement, they say it couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team. So all’s good, right? Except for there’s a fly in the ointment.

Because it turns out that Ronna McDaniel has been slated to appear on “Meet the Press,” not as a paid NBC contributor, but as a former recently ousted RNC chair with the “Meet The Press” host, Kristen Welker, who’s preparing to have a real tough interview with Ronna McDaniel. Because of course, Ronna McDaniel was chair of the party and at Trump’s side as he tried to refuse his election loss. So this was supposed to be a showdown interview.

From NBC News in Washington, the longest-running show in television history. This is “Meet The Press” with Kristen Welker.

And here, all of a sudden, Kristin Welker is thrown for a loop.

In full disclosure to our viewers, this interview was scheduled weeks before it was announced that McDaniel would become a paid NBC News contributor.

Because now, she’s actually interviewing a member of the family who’s on the same payroll.

Right. Suddenly, she’s interviewing a colleague.

This will be a news interview, and I was not involved in her hiring.

So what happens during the interview?

So Welker is prepared for a tough interview, and that’s exactly what she does.

Can you say, as you sit here today, did Joe Biden win the election fair and square?

He won. He’s the legitimate president.

Did he win fair and square?

Fair and square, he won. It’s certified. It’s done.

She presses her on the key question that a lot of Republicans get asked these days — do you accept Joe Biden was the winner of the election?

But, I do think, Kristen —

Ronna, why has it taken you until now to say that? Why has it taken you until now to be able to say that?

I’m going to push back a little.

McDaniel gets defensive at times.

Because I do think it’s fair to say there were problems in 2020. And to say that does not mean he’s not the legitimate president.

But, Ronna, when you say that, it suggests that there was something wrong with the election. And you know that the election was the most heavily scrutinized. Chris Krebs —

It’s a really combative interview.

I want to turn now to your actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

And Welker actually really does go deeply into McDaniel’s record in those weeks before January 6.

On November 17, you and Donald Trump were recorded pushing two Republican Michigan election officials not to certify the results of the election. And on the call —

For instance, she presses McDaniel on McDaniel’s role in an attempt to convince a couple county commissioner level canvassers in Michigan to not certify Biden’s victory.

Our call that night was to say, are you OK? Vote your conscience. Not pushing them to do anything.

McDaniel says, look, I was just telling them to vote their conscience. They should do whatever they think is right.

But you said, do not sign it. If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. How can people read that as anything other than a pressure campaign?

And Welker’s not going to just let her off the hook. Welker presses her on Trump’s own comments about January 6 and Trump’s efforts recently to gloss over some of the violence, and to say that those who have been arrested, he’ll free them.

Do you support that?

I want to be very clear. The violence that happened on January 6 is unacceptable.

And this is a frankly fascinating moment because you can hear McDaniel starting to, if not quite reverse some of her positions, though in some cases she does that, at least really soften her language. It’s almost as if she’s switching uniforms from the RNC one to an NBC one or almost like breaking from a role she was playing.

Ronna, why not speak out earlier? Why just speak out about that now?

When you’re the RNC chair, you kind of take one for the whole team, right? Now, I get to be a little bit more myself.

She says, hey, you know what? Sometimes as RNC chair, you just have to take it for the team sometimes.

Right. What she’s really saying is I did things as chairwoman of the Republican National committee that now that I no longer have that job, I can candidly say, I wished I hadn’t done, which is very honest. But it’s also another way of saying I’m two faced, or I was playing a part.

Ronna McDaniel, thank you very much for being here this morning.

Then something extraordinary happens. And I have to say, I’ve never seen a moment like this in decades of watching television news and covering television news.

Welcome back. The panel is here. Chuck Todd, NBC News chief political analyst.

Welker brings her regular panel on, including Chuck Todd, now the senior NBC political analyst.

Chuck, let’s dive right in. What were your takeaways?

And he launches right into what he calls —

Look, let me deal with the elephant in the room.

The elephant being this hiring of McDaniel.

I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation.

And he proceeds, on NBC’S air, to lace into management for, as he describes it, putting Welker in this crazy awkward position.

Because I don’t know what to believe. She is now a paid contributor by NBC News. I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn’t want to mess up her contract.

And Todd is very hung up on this idea that when she was speaking for the party, she would say one thing. And now that she’s on the payroll at NBC, she’s saying another thing.

She has credibility issues that she still has to deal with. Is she speaking for herself, or is she speaking on behalf of who’s paying her?

Todd is basically saying, how are we supposed to know which one to believe.

What can we believe?

It is important for this network and for always to have a wide aperture. Having ideological diversity on this panel is something I prided myself on.

And what he’s effectively saying is that his bosses should have never hired her in this capacity.

I understand the motivation, but this execution, I think, was poor.

Someone said to me last night we live in complicated times. Thank you guys for being here. I really appreciate it.

Now, let’s just note here, this isn’t just any player at NBC. Chuck Todd is obviously a major news name at the network. And him doing this appears to just open the floodgates across the entire NBC News brand, especially on its sister cable network, MSNBC.

And where I said I’d never seen anything like what I saw on “Meet the Press” that morning, I’d never seen anything like this either. Because now, the entire MSNBC lineup is in open rebellion. I mean, from the minute that the sun comes up. There is Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

We weren’t asked our opinion of the hiring. But if we were, we would have strongly objected to it.

They’re on fire over this.

believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices, but it should be conservative Republicans, not a person who used her position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier.

But it rolls out across the entire schedule.

Because Ronna McDaniel has been a major peddler of the big lie.

The fact that Ms. McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News, to me that is inexplicable. I mean, you wouldn’t hire a mobster to work at a DA’s office.

Rachel Maddow devotes an entire half hour.

It’s not about just being associated with Donald Trump and his time in the Republican Party. It’s not even about lying or not lying. It’s about our system of government.

Thumbing their noses at our bosses and basically accusing them of abetting a traitorous figure in American history. I mean, just extraordinary stuff. It’s television history.

And let’s face it, we journalists, our bosses, we can be seen as crybabies, and we’re paid complaining. Yeah, that’s what we’re paid to do. But in this case, the NBC executives cannot ignore this, because in the outcry, there’s a very clear point that they’re all making. Ronna McDaniel is not just a voice from the other side. She was a fundamental part of Trump’s efforts to deny his election loss.

This is not inviting the other side. This is someone who’s on the wrong side —

Of history.

Of history, of these moments that we’ve covered and are still covering.

And I think it’s fair to say that at this point, everyone understands that Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC News is going to be very short lived. Yeah, basically, after all this, the executives at NBC have to face facts it’s over. And on Tuesday night, they release a statement to the staff saying as much.

They don’t cite the questions about red lines or what Ronna McDaniel represented or didn’t represent. They just say we need to have a unified newsroom. We want cohesion. This isn’t working.

I think in the end, she was a paid contributor for four days.

Yeah, one of the shortest tenures in television news history. And look, in one respect, by their standards, this is kind of a pretty small contract, a few hundred thousand dollars they may have to pay out. But it was way more costly because they hired her. They brought her on board because they wanted to appeal to these tens of millions of Americans who still love Donald J. Trump.

And what happens now is that this entire thing is blown up in their face, and those very same people now see a network that, in their view, in the view of Republicans across the country, this network will not accept any Republicans. So it becomes more about that. And Fox News, NBC’S longtime rival, goes wall to wall with this.

Now, NBC News just caved to the breathless demands from their far left, frankly, emotionally unhinged host.

I mean, I had it on my desk all day. And every minute I looked at that screen, it was pounding on these liberals at NBC News driving this Republican out.

It’s the shortest tenure in TV history, I think. But why? Well, because she supports Donald Trump, period.

So in a way, this leaves NBC worse off with that Trump Republican audience they had wanted to court than maybe even they were before. It’s like a boomerang with a grenade on it.

Yeah, it completely explodes in their face. And that’s why to me, the whole episode is so representative of this eight-year conundrum for the news media, especially on television. They still haven’t been able to crack the code for how to handle the Trump movement, the Trump candidacy, and what it has wrought on the American political system and American journalism.

We’ll be right back.

Jim, put into context this painful episode of NBC into that larger conundrum you just diagnosed that the media has faced when it comes to Trump.

Well, Michael, it’s been there from the very beginning, from the very beginning of his political rise. The media was on this kind of seesaw. They go back and forth over how to cover him. Sometimes they want to cover him quite aggressively because he’s such a challenging candidate. He was bursting so many norms.

But at other times, there was this instinct to understand his appeal, for the same reason. He’s such an unusual candidate. So there was a great desire to really understand his voters. And frankly, to speak to his voters, because they’re part of the audience. And we all lived it, right?

But just let me take you back anyway because everything’s fresh again with perspective. And so if you go back, let’s look at when he first ran. The networks, if you recall, saw him as almost like a novelty candidate.

He was going to spice up what was expected to be a boring campaign between the usual suspects. And he was a ratings magnet. And the networks, they just couldn’t get enough of it. And they allowed him, at times, to really shatter their own norms.

Welcome back to “Meet the Press,” sir.

Good morning, Chuck.

Good morning. Let me start —

He was able to just call into the studio and riff with the likes of George Stephanopoulos and Chuck Todd.

What does it have to do with Hillary?

She can’t talk about me because nobody respects women more than Donald Trump.

And CNN gave him a lot of unmitigated airtime, if you recall during the campaign. They would run the press conferences.

It’s the largest winery on the East Coast. I own it 100 percent.

And let him promote his Trump steaks and his Trump wine.

Trump steaks. Where are the steaks? Do we have steaks?

I mean, it got that crazy. But again, the ratings were huge. And then he wins. And because they had previously given him all that airtime, they’ve, in retrospect, sort of given him a political gift, and more than that now have a journalistic imperative to really address him in a different way, to cover him as they would have covered any other candidate, which, let’s face it, they weren’t doing initially. So there’s this extra motivation to make up for lost ground and maybe for some journalistic omissions.

Right. Kind of correct for the lack of a rigorous journalistic filter in the campaign.

Exactly. And the big thing that this will be remembered for is we’re going to call a lie a lie.

I don’t want to sugarcoat this because facts matter, and the fact is President Trump lies.

Trump lies. We’re going to say it’s a lie.

And I think we can’t just mince around it because they are lies. And so we need to call them what they are.

We’re no longer going to use euphemisms or looser language we’re. Going to call it for what it is.

Trump lies in tweets. He spreads false information at rallies. He lies when he doesn’t need to. He lies when the truth is more than enough for him.

CNN was running chyrons. They would fact check Trump and call lies lies on the screen while Trump is talking. They were challenging Trump to his face —

One of the statements that you made in the tail end of the campaign in the midterms that —

Here we go.

That — well, if you don’t mind, Mr. President, that this caravan was an invasion.

— in these crazy press conferences —

They’re are hundreds of miles away, though. They’re hundreds and hundreds of miles away. That’s not an invasion.

Honestly, I think you should let me run the country. You run CNN. And if you did it well, your ratings —

Well, let me ask — if I may ask one other question. Mr. President, if I may ask another question. Are you worried —

That’s enough. That’s enough.

And Trump is giving it right back.

I tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN.

Very combative.

So this was this incredibly fraught moment for the American press. You’ve got tens of millions of Trump supporters seeing what’s really basic fact checking. These look like attacks to Trump supporters. Trump, in turn, is calling the press, the reporters are enemies of the people. So it’s a terrible dynamic.

And when January 6 happens, it’s so obviously out of control. And what the traditional press that follows, traditional journalistic rules has to do is make it clear that the claims that Trump is making about a stolen election are just so abjectly false that they don’t warrant a single minute of real consideration once the reporting has been done to show how false they are. And I think that American journalism really emerged from that feeling strongly about its own values and its own place in society.

But then there’s still tens of millions of Trump voters, and they don’t feel so good about the coverage. And they don’t agree that January 6 was an insurrection. And so we enter yet another period, where the press is going to have to now maybe rethink some things.

In what way?

Well, there’s a kind of quiet period after January 6. Trump is off of social media. The smoke is literally dissipating from the air in Washington. And news executives are kind of standing there on the proverbial battlefield, taking a new look at their situation.

And they’re seeing that in this clearer light, they’ve got some new problems, perhaps none more important for their entire business models than that their ratings are quickly crashing. And part of that diminishment is that a huge part of the country, that Trump-loving part of the audience, is really now severed from him from their coverage.

They see the press as actually, in some cases, being complicit in stealing an election. And so these news executives, again, especially on television, which is so ratings dependent, they’ve got a problem. So after presumably learning all these lessons about journalism and how to confront power, there’s a first subtle and then much less subtle rethinking.

Maybe we need to pull back from that approach. And maybe we need to take some new lessons and switch it up a little bit and reverse some of what we did. And one of the best examples of this is none other than CNN.

It had come under new management, was being led by a guy named Chris Licht, a veteran of cable news, but also Stephen Colbert’s late night show in his last job. And his new job under this new management is we’re going to recalibrate a little bit. So Chris Licht proceeds to try to bring the network back to the center.

And how does he do that?

Well, we see some key personalities who represented the Trump combat era start losing air time and some of them lose their jobs. There’s talk of, we want more Republicans on the air. There was a famous magazine article about Chris Licht’s balancing act here.

And Chris Licht says to a reporter, Tim Alberta of the “Atlantic” magazine, look, a lot in the media, including at his own network, quote unquote, “put on a jersey, took a side.” They took a side. And he says, I think we understand that jersey cannot go back on him. Because he says in the end of the day, by the way, it didn’t even work. We didn’t change anyone’s mind.

He’s saying that confrontational approach that defined the four years Trump was in office, that was a reaction to the feeling that TV news had failed to properly treat Trump with sufficient skepticism, that that actually was a failure both of journalism and of the TV news business. Is that what he’s saying?

Yeah. On the business side, it’s easier call, right? You want a bigger audience, and you’re not getting the bigger audience. But he’s making a journalistic argument as well that if the job is to convey the truth and take it to the people, and they take that into account as they make their own voting decisions and formulate their own opinions about American politics, if tens of millions of people who do believe that election was stolen are completely tuning you out because now they see you as a political combatant, you’re not achieving your ultimate goal as a journalist.

And what does Licht’s “don’t put a jersey back on” approach look like on CNN for its viewers?

Well, It didn’t look good. People might remember this, but the most glaring example —

Please welcome, the front runner for the Republican nomination for president, Donald Trump.

— was when he held a town hall meeting featuring Donald J. Trump, now candidate Trump, before an audience packed with Trump’s fans.

You look at what happened during that election. Unless you’re a very stupid person, you see what happens. A lot of the people —

Trump let loose a string of falsehoods.

Most people understand what happened. It was a rigged election.

The audience is pro-Trump audience, was cheering him on.

Are you ready? Are you ready? Can I talk?

Yeah, what’s your answer?

Can I? Do you mind?

I would like for you to answer the question.

OK. It’s very simple to answer.

That’s why I asked it.

It’s very simple. You’re a nasty person, I’ll tell you that.

And during, the CNN anchor hosting this, Kaitlan Collins, on CNN’s own air, it was a disaster.

It felt like a callback to the unlearned lessons of 2016.

Yeah. And in this case, CNN’s staff was up in arms.

Big shakeup in the cable news industry as CNN makes another change at the top.

Chris Licht is officially out at CNN after a chaotic run as chairman and CEO.

And Chris Licht didn’t survive it.

The chief executive’s departure comes as he faced criticism in recent weeks after the network hosted a town hall with Donald Trump and the network’s ratings started to drop.

But I want to say that the CNN leadership still, even after that, as they brought new leadership in, said, this is still the path we’re going to go on. Maybe that didn’t work out, but we’re still here. This is still what we have to do.

Right. And this idea is very much in the water of TV news, that this is the right overall direction.

Yeah. This is, by no means, isolated to CNN. This is throughout the traditional news business. These conversations are happening everywhere. But CNN was living it at that point.

And this, of course, is how we get to NBC deciding to hire Ronna McDaniel.

Right. Because they’re picking up — right where that conversation leaves off, they’re having the same conversation. But for NBC, you could argue this tension between journalistic values and audience. It’s even more pressing. Because even though MSNBC is a niche cable network, NBC News is part of an old-fashioned broadcast network. It’s on television stations throughout the country.

And in fact, those networks, they still have 6:30 newscasts. And believe it or not, millions of people still watch those every night. Maybe not as many as they used to, but there’s still some six or seven million people tuning in to nightly news. That’s important.

Right. We should say that kind of number is sometimes double or triple that of the cable news prime time shows that get all the attention.

On their best nights. So this is big business still. And that business is based on broad — it’s called broadcast for a reason. That’s based on broad audiences. So NBC had a business imperative, and they argue they had a journalistic imperative.

So given all of that, Jim, I think the big messy question here is, when it comes to NBC, did they make a tactical error around hiring the wrong Republican which blew up? Or did they make an even larger error in thinking that the way you handle Trump and his supporters is to work this hard to reach them, when they might not even be reachable?

The best way to answer that question is to tell you what they’re saying right now, NBC management. What the management saying is, yes, this was a tactical error. This was clearly the wrong Republican. We get it.

But they’re saying, we are going to — and they said this in their statement, announcing that they were severing ties with McDaniel. They said, we’re going to redouble our efforts to represent a broad spectrum of the American votership. And that’s what they meant was that we’re going to still try to reach these Trump voters with people who can relate to them and they can relate to.

But the question is, how do you even do that when so many of his supporters believe a lie? How is NBC, how is CNN, how are any of these TV networks, if they have decided that this is their mission, how are they supposed to speak to people who believe something fundamentally untrue as a core part of their political identity?

That’s the catch-22. How do you get that Trump movement person who’s also an insider, when the litmus test to be an insider in the Trump movement is to believe in the denialism or at least say you do? So that’s a real journalistic problem. And the thing that we haven’t really touched here is, what are these networks doing day in and day out?

They’re not producing reported pieces, which I think it’s a little easier. You just report the news. You go out into the world. You talk to people, and then you present it to the world as a nuanced portrait of the country. This thing is true. This thing is false. Again, in many cases, pretty straightforward. But their bread and butter is talking heads. It’s live. It’s not edited. It’s not that much reported.

So their whole business model especially, again, on cable, which has 24 hours to fill, is talking heads. And if you want the perspective from the Trump movement, journalistically, especially when it comes to denialism, but when it comes to some other major subjects in American life, you’re walking into a place where they’re going to say things that aren’t true, that don’t pass your journalistic standards, the most basic standards of journalism.

Right. So you’re saying if TV sticks with this model, the kind of low cost, lots of talk approach to news, then they are going to have to solve the riddle of who to bring on, who represents Trump’s America if they want that audience. And now they’ve got this red line that they’ve established, that that person can’t be someone who denies the 2020 election reality. But like you just said, that’s the litmus test for being in Trump’s orbit.

So this doesn’t really look like a conundrum. This looks like a bit of a crisis for TV news because it may end up meaning that they can’t hire that person that they need for this model, which means that perhaps a network like NBC does need to wave goodbye to a big segment of these viewers and these eyeballs who support Trump.

I mean, on the one hand, they are not ready to do that, and they would never concede that that’s something they’re ready to do. The problem is barring some kind of change in their news model, there’s no solution to this.

But why bar changes to their news model, I guess, is the question. Because over the years, it’s gotten more and more expensive to produce news, the news that I’m talking about, like recorded packages and what we refer to as reporting. Just go out and report the news.

Don’t gab about it. Just what’s going on, what’s true, what’s false. That’s actually very expensive in television. And they don’t have the kind of money they used to have. So the talking heads is their way to do programming at a level where they can afford it.

They do some packages. “60 Minutes” still does incredible work. NBC does packages, but the lion’s share of what they do is what we’re talking about. And that’s not going to change because the economics aren’t there.

So then a final option, of course, to borrow something Chris Licht said, is that a network like NBC perhaps doesn’t put a jersey on, but accepts the reality that a lot of the world sees them wearing a jersey.

Yeah. I mean, nobody wants to be seen as wearing a jersey in our business. No one wants to be wearing a jersey on our business. But maybe what they really have to accept is that we’re just sticking to the true facts, and that may look like we’re wearing a jersey, but we’re not. And that may, at times, look like it’s lining up more with the Democrats, but we’re not.

If Trump is lying about a stolen election, that’s not siding against him. That’s siding for the truth, and that’s what we’re doing. Easier said than done. And I don’t think any of these concepts are new.

I think there have been attempts to do that, but it’s the world they’re in. And it’s the only option they really have. We’re going to tell you the truth, even if it means that we’re going to lose a big part of the country.

Well, Jim, thank you very much.

Thank you, Michael.

Here’s what else you need to know today.

[PROTESTERS CHANTING]

Over the weekend, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in some of the largest domestic demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Israel invaded Gaza in the fall.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Some of the protesters called on Netanyahu to reach a cease fire deal that would free the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. Others called for early elections that would remove Netanyahu from office.

During a news conference on Sunday, Netanyahu rejected calls for early elections, saying they would paralyze his government at a crucial moment in the war.

Today’s episode was produced by Rob Szypko, Rikki Novetsky, and Alex Stern, with help from Stella Tan.

It was edited by Brendan Klinkenberg with help from Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett. Contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, and Rowan Niemisto and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

• April 2, 2024   •   29:32 Kids Are Missing School at an Alarming Rate
• April 1, 2024   •   36:14 Ronna McDaniel, TV News and the Trump Problem
• March 29, 2024   •   48:42 Hamas Took Her, and Still Has Her Husband
• March 28, 2024   •   33:40 The Newest Tech Start-Up Billionaire? Donald Trump.
• March 27, 2024   •   28:06 Democrats’ Plan to Save the Republican House Speaker
• March 26, 2024   •   29:13 The United States vs. the iPhone
• March 25, 2024   •   25:59 A Terrorist Attack in Russia
• March 24, 2024   •   21:39 The Sunday Read: ‘My Goldendoodle Spent a Week at Some Luxury Dog ‘Hotels.’ I Tagged Along.’
• March 22, 2024   •   35:30 Chuck Schumer on His Campaign to Oust Israel’s Leader
• March 21, 2024   •   27:18 The Caitlin Clark Phenomenon
• March 20, 2024   •   25:58 The Bombshell Case That Will Transform the Housing Market
• March 19, 2024   •   27:29 Trump’s Plan to Take Away Biden’s Biggest Advantage

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jim Rutenberg

Produced by Rob Szypko ,  Rikki Novetsky and Alex Stern

With Stella Tan

Edited by Brendan Klinkenberg ,  Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Dan Powell and Rowan Niemisto

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC was short. The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired as an on-air political commentator but released just days later after an on-air revolt by the network’s leading stars.

Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The Times, discusses the saga and what it might reveal about the state of television news heading into the 2024 presidential race.

On today’s episode

Jim Rutenberg , a writer at large for The New York Times.

Background reading

Ms. McDaniel’s appointment had been immediately criticized by reporters at the network and by viewers on social media.

The former Republican Party leader tried to downplay her role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A review of the record shows she was involved in some key episodes .

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Jim Rutenberg is a writer at large for The Times and The New York Times Magazine and writes most often about media and politics. More about Jim Rutenberg

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