Changes of English education after the 2007 revised curriculum in South Korea: Focusing on Dong-A Ilbo newspaper articles

This study investigated the transition of English education after the 2007 revised curriculum in South Korea. This research focused on Dong-A Ilbo newspaper articles across three major political regimes: Presidents Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, and Moon Jae-in from March 2007 to June 2022. The research questions are 1) what are the prominent themes in English education in the three political regimes? and 2) what are the implications of these changes to the current English education in South Korea? A total of 522 newspaper articles were categorized into five major themes: 1) Experience of English education, 2) English education policy and its perception, 3) English instructors in and out of school, 4) English education curricula, and 5) English for the entrance exams in South Korea. Regarding political regimes, Lee Myung-bak administration emphasized English education by introducing English village, Jeju Global Education City, and the National English Ability Test (NEAT). Park Geun-hye administration applied criterion-referenced English test in the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, significant changes in English education during Moon Jae-in administration are not identified except for AI-appled online distance learning. This paper concludes with educational implications for future research.