By Kim Jae-won
Despite being one of the most important subjects on school curricula, Korean History is steadily losing its appeal to students. More high school students are losing interest in the subject, a trend that started in 2004, when history became an optional rather than requisite part of the state-run college entrance exam.
Baek Hee-chan, an 11th grader at Baekshin High School in Ilsan, Gyeoggi Province, says he won't choose Korean History for the national college entrance exam next year.
"It's hard to study. There are a lot of things that I should memorize in Korean History. I would rather select law and politics for my social studies choice," said Baek who wants to study business administration in college.
Baek is just one of many high school students who opt not to take Korean History in the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).
Only 7 percent of candidates chose Korean history as their pick for the CSAT last year, down from 28 percent in 2005, according to the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA).
Experts say that this is because the education authorities excluded the subject from the list of subjects for the college entrance exam in 2004, making it one of two optional tests under the social studies category.
"High school students have little interest in Korean History since it was uprooted from the CSAT. It still remains an optional subject in the test, but few students choose it because they think history is a boring subject just filled with many numbers," said Yi Tae-jin, chairman of the National Institute of Korean History.
Yi, who previously taught Korean history at Seoul National University, pointed out that the teaching method which emphasizes rote memorization is one of the factors killing student's interest in learning their own history.
"Teachers do not explain cause and effect relations in the history. They just let students memorize years of historical events, failing to stimulate their curiosity," said the veteran historian.
Yi introduced a story which illustrates how youngsters are not familiar with historical figures. He said that a cable TV channel showed a portrait of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun last month in Myeong-dong, downtown Seoul, and asked some 40 young people who he was.
Surprisingly, only two answered correctly. Some of them mistook him for Jeon Tae-il, a labor rights activist who died by self-immolation at a clothing market in eastern Seoul in 1970.
Baek the high school student agreed that he and his colleagues are not as familiar with Korean history as his seniors.
"We do not know much about Korean history because we only study the subject for one semester and that's it."
Lee Doo-hyung, a history teacher at Seoul's Yangchung High School, said that it is crucial for colleges to require history scores for their admissions.
"Currently, only Seoul National University asks students to submit history scores for admission. Then, who would want to study it except some top-performing students?" said Lee, who has taught Korean history at secondary schools for 28 years.
Cho Hwan-kyung, a Korean history teacher at Pucheon Girls' High School in Bucheon, Gyeoggi Province, said that extending the hours of Korean History classes might help students learn the subject more thoroughly.
"The number of hours for Korean history is too small. It is just five hours per week for one semester. It is difficult to cover the entire curriculum, from prehistoric age to contemporary history within a short span of time."
According to a KFTA survey of 1,630 primary and secondary school teachers and college lecturers nationwide, 57 percent said that students' insufficient knowledge of history is "very serious," and 31 percent answered "serious."
Politicians and historians called on the government to restore the status of the subject to mandatory on the college entrance exam earlier this year.
President Park Geun-hye also emphasized the importance of Korean history, saying:"The history of a country is like the soul of the people. If a person grows to be a citizen without proper knowledge of history, that person could be left without a soul."
Park made these remarks to express her concern about the low interest shown toward Korean history. The Ministry of Education is looking at ways of boosting interest in the subject.
A government official said that the government will either make the subject a compulsory in the CSAT, or mandate every single high school student to take a Korean History test in order to graduate. The ministry plans to make a final decision in August or September, the official said.
Despite being one of the most important subjects on school curricula, Korean History is steadily losing its appeal to students. More high school students are losing interest in the subject, a trend that started in 2004, when history became an optional rather than requisite part of the state-run college entrance exam.
Baek Hee-chan, an 11th grader at Baekshin High School in Ilsan, Gyeoggi Province, says he won't choose Korean History for the national college entrance exam next year.
"It's hard to study. There are a lot of things that I should memorize in Korean History. I would rather select law and politics for my social studies choice," said Baek who wants to study business administration in college.
Baek is just one of many high school students who opt not to take Korean History in the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).
Only 7 percent of candidates chose Korean history as their pick for the CSAT last year, down from 28 percent in 2005, according to the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA).
Experts say that this is because the education authorities excluded the subject from the list of subjects for the college entrance exam in 2004, making it one of two optional tests under the social studies category.
"High school students have little interest in Korean History since it was uprooted from the CSAT. It still remains an optional subject in the test, but few students choose it because they think history is a boring subject just filled with many numbers," said Yi Tae-jin, chairman of the National Institute of Korean History.
Yi, who previously taught Korean history at Seoul National University, pointed out that the teaching method which emphasizes rote memorization is one of the factors killing student's interest in learning their own history.
"Teachers do not explain cause and effect relations in the history. They just let students memorize years of historical events, failing to stimulate their curiosity," said the veteran historian.
Yi introduced a story which illustrates how youngsters are not familiar with historical figures. He said that a cable TV channel showed a portrait of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun last month in Myeong-dong, downtown Seoul, and asked some 40 young people who he was.
Surprisingly, only two answered correctly. Some of them mistook him for Jeon Tae-il, a labor rights activist who died by self-immolation at a clothing market in eastern Seoul in 1970.
Baek the high school student agreed that he and his colleagues are not as familiar with Korean history as his seniors.
"We do not know much about Korean history because we only study the subject for one semester and that's it."
Lee Doo-hyung, a history teacher at Seoul's Yangchung High School, said that it is crucial for colleges to require history scores for their admissions.
"Currently, only Seoul National University asks students to submit history scores for admission. Then, who would want to study it except some top-performing students?" said Lee, who has taught Korean history at secondary schools for 28 years.
Cho Hwan-kyung, a Korean history teacher at Pucheon Girls' High School in Bucheon, Gyeoggi Province, said that extending the hours of Korean History classes might help students learn the subject more thoroughly.
"The number of hours for Korean history is too small. It is just five hours per week for one semester. It is difficult to cover the entire curriculum, from prehistoric age to contemporary history within a short span of time."
According to a KFTA survey of 1,630 primary and secondary school teachers and college lecturers nationwide, 57 percent said that students' insufficient knowledge of history is "very serious," and 31 percent answered "serious."
Politicians and historians called on the government to restore the status of the subject to mandatory on the college entrance exam earlier this year.
President Park Geun-hye also emphasized the importance of Korean history, saying:"The history of a country is like the soul of the people. If a person grows to be a citizen without proper knowledge of history, that person could be left without a soul."
Park made these remarks to express her concern about the low interest shown toward Korean history. The Ministry of Education is looking at ways of boosting interest in the subject.
A government official said that the government will either make the subject a compulsory in the CSAT, or mandate every single high school student to take a Korean History test in order to graduate. The ministry plans to make a final decision in August or September, the official said.
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