How schooling is organised
South Korea operates a national curriculum revised on a regular cycle — the 2022 revision is currently phasing in — across six years of elementary school, three of middle school and three of high school. The Ministry of Education sets the curriculum; metropolitan and provincial offices of education implement it and produce a good deal of their own material.
Everything in the senior years orients towards the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT, or suneung), administered nationally on a single day each November by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation. The CSAT's weight in university admission is the defining feature of Korean secondary education and explains the scale of the country's private tutoring sector.
What the state bodies publish
KICE publishes past CSAT papers, mock examinations and answer keys, and these are the most heavily used free study material in the country. EBS, the public educational broadcaster, is the other pillar: its lecture series and workbooks are explicitly linked to CSAT preparation, and a large share of its content is free to stream.
The Ministry's Edunet and KERIS's digital textbook programme host curriculum-aligned material for earlier years. Almost all of this is in Korean; the Ministry publishes curriculum overviews and statistical yearbooks in English.
Getting the most out of it
For CSAT subjects, KICE's own past papers and the national mock examinations (mo-ui-gosa) are more representative than commercial material, and they come with official answer explanations.
EBS is worth using systematically rather than casually — its series are built to cover a syllabus in sequence, so working through one is closer to taking a course than to watching revision videos.
Resource listings
Assessment
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College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT/Suneung)
National university entrance examination system administered by KICE, with air traffic suspended during listening sections due to its critical importance
National Examination12Korean LanguageMathematicsEnglishSocial StudiesCurriculum-aligned
Character Education
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Character and Moral Education
Comprehensive character education programme based on Confucian values and democratic citizenship integrated across all grade levels
Character ProgrammeYears 1–12Moral EducationEthicsCivic ResponsibilityCharacter DevelopmentCurriculum-aligned
Competencies
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Six Key Competencies Framework
Core competencies framework emphasizing self-management, knowledge processing, creative thinking, aesthetic sensibility, communication, and civic competency
Skills FrameworkYears 1–12Self-managementKnowledge ProcessingCreative ThinkingAesthetic SensibilityCurriculum-aligned
Curriculum
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2022 Revised National Curriculum
Latest national curriculum focusing on developing creative and integrative learners with key competencies, being implemented in primary schools from 2024 and secondary schools from 2025
National CurriculumYears 1–12Korean LanguageMathematicsEnglishSocial StudiesCurriculum-aligned
Curriculum Development
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Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE)
Government-funded research institute specializing in curriculum development, educational assessment, and national testing including CSAT administration
Research InstituteYears 1–12Curriculum-aligned
Digital Learning
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AI Digital Textbook Initiative (Discontinued 2025)
Digital transformation initiative with AI-powered textbooks that faced significant opposition and was discontinued by National Assembly in August 2025
EdTech Initiative (Discontinued)3, 4, 7MathematicsEnglishInformation Technology
Early Childhood
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Nuri Curriculum for Early Childhood
National curriculum for kindergarten children aged 3-5 years focusing on holistic development with integrated approach
Early Years Framework0Physical ExerciseHealthCommunicationSocial RelationshipCurriculum-aligned
Educational Innovation
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Free Semester Programme
Middle school programme emphasizing experiential learning without formal assessments, scaled back from full year to one semester in 2025
Special ProgrammeYears 7–9Career ExplorationArtsSportsCommunity ServiceCurriculum-aligned
Educational Reform
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High School Credit System Implementation
Phased implementation of credit-based system in high schools to provide greater curriculum flexibility and student choice, monitored by KICE
Reform InitiativeYears 10–12Elective CoursesSpecialized ProgramsCurriculum-aligned
Educational Technology
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Digital Education Innovation Plan
Comprehensive plan for digital transformation in education including teacher training for digital literacy and EdTech integration, ongoing despite AI textbook setback
Innovation PlanYears 1–12Digital LiteracyInformation TechnologyComputer ScienceCurriculum-aligned
General
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Ministry of Education (교육부)
Korean government ministry responsible for educational policy development and implementation nationwide
Ministry PortalYears 1–12Curriculum-aligned
Primary Education
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Elementary Education Framework
Primary education curriculum for grades 1-6 emphasizing foundational skills and character development with 6-year structure
Primary FrameworkYears 1–6Korean LanguageMathematicsScienceSocial StudiesCurriculum-aligned
Secondary Education
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Middle School Education System
Secondary education framework for grades 7-9 including Free Semester Programme (reduced from full year in 2025 due to academic performance concerns)
Secondary FrameworkYears 7–9Korean LanguageMathematicsEnglishSocial StudiesCurriculum-aligned
Special Education
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Special Education Services
Comprehensive support services for students with special educational needs and disabilities with inclusive education focus
Support ServicesYears 1–12Support ServicesTherapy ServicesCurriculum-aligned
Upper Secondary
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High School Education System
Upper secondary education including general and vocational tracks for grades 10-12, with school fees eliminated by 2025 for most schools
Upper Secondary FrameworkYears 10–12Academic SubjectsVocational TrainingCareer PreparationCurriculum-aligned
Vocational Education
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Vocational Education and Training
Technical and vocational education pathways in specialized high schools and polytechnic institutions with industry partnerships
Vocational FrameworkYears 10–12AgricultureTechnologyIndustryCommerceCurriculum-aligned
All resources listed here are published by government departments, ministries, statutory examination bodies or public broadcasters and were free to access when last checked. OffLearn is not affiliated with any of them. Links open on the publisher's own site. Found a dead link? Tell us and we will fix it.
Other countries
United States
The United States has no national curriculum — standards and materials are set state by state, so the state page is the one that matters.
Canada
Canada has no federal education department at all — each province and territory runs its own curriculum, in English, French or both.
Australia
Australia teaches a single national curriculum that each state and territory adapts, so useful material sits at both the federal and state level.
United Kingdom
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run four genuinely different systems with different curricula and different exams.
New Zealand
New Zealand centralises its curriculum and qualifications nationally, so nearly all official material comes from two agencies.
Ireland
Ireland runs a centralised national curriculum with two high-stakes state examinations and an unusual optional transition year.