SOUTH KOREA Pupils are learning less about Japan, their country’s close neighbour, and more about the United States and Europe.
In high schools, English lessons are replacing Japanese. This is welcomed by teachers concerned about the impact of Japanese pop culture, including manga comic books with their stories featuring sex and violence. South Korean pupils are also learning more about Western geography, technology and art.
But they will still learn about Japan in their history lessons. Syllabus designers say the Japanese army’s occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 will remain a key topic. The coverage of the rape of many South Korean women, in this periord, for example, is a response to fears that many young people are becoming indifferent to the events of the past.
