UIL Visiting Researcher Soyoun Park, Professor in the College of Liberal Arts at Anyang University, Republic of Korea, shares insights from her experience developing, implementing and evaluating the Korean Adult Literacy Survey (KALS) as part of a small research team since 2013.
© National Institute for Lifelong Education (NILE)
The Republic of Korea is frequently introduced as a high-literacy country, supported by strong international assessment results, near-universal school enrolment and rapid digital adoption. These indicators are important, yet they tell only part of the story. Literacy is not experienced equally across the population, nor is it shaped by schooling alone.
The real story of literacy lies beyond the numbers. It is shaped by history, inequality, ageing and the evolving meaning of what it means to be literate in everyday life. In an ageing society marked by historical disruption and socioeconomic inequality, literacy reflects lived experience, social participation and access to learning opportunities across the life course. Understanding literacy in the Republic of Korea therefore requires moving beyond performance rankings. It requires attention to who benefits from educational success, who remains excluded and how literacy functions in everyday civic, social and digital life.
The Republic of Korea’s literacy landscape is deeply rooted in its modern history. Many older adults lived through Japanese colonial rule, the Korean War and rapid industrialization, often with limited or interrupted access to formal education. These experiences continue to shape literacy levels among today’s older population.
At the same time, the Republic of Korea has entered a super-aged society, with more than 20 per cent of its population aged 65 or older. This demographic shift intersects with urban concentration, digital transformation and expanding cultural content. As a result, literacy policy must simultaneously address historical educational deprivation and new demands for digital and social participation.
In response to these challenges, the Republic of Korea has developed an integrated adult literacy system that links education, assessment and governance. Since 2006, national programmes have supported adults with low educational attainment through tailored curricula in basic literacy and, more recently, digital literacy. By 2023, approximately 720,000 adults had participated in these programmes, reflecting sustained public investment in literacy as a social responsibility and recognizing it as a human right.
Assessment plays a particularly distinctive role. Adult learners can obtain formal academic recognition equivalent to primary or lower secondary education through portfolio-based evaluation. This approach values learning accumulated through formal, non-formal and informal contexts and reinforces the idea that literacy development continues throughout life rather than ending with schooling. A portfolio-based approach also acknowledges that some adults may prefer not to sit an exam, as it may remind them of past negative experiences.
The Republic of Korea’s commitment to evidence-based policy is reflected in its national adult literacy surveys. The Korean Adult Literacy Survey (KALS), conducted every three years since 2014, relies on direct performance-based assessment rather than self-reported skills. This approach allows for a more precise understanding of literacy levels and how they change over time.
Survey results show gradual improvement in overall literacy levels between 2014 and 2023, alongside a declining proportion of adults at the lowest levels. However, persistent disparities remain. Older adults – particularly those over 70 with low household income – continue to face the greatest risk of low literacy.
Despite their age, they need literacy skills, for example to navigate an increasingly digital society. Beyond demographic factors, social participation, life satisfaction and political interest are strongly associated with literacy outcomes, highlighting literacy’s role in social inclusion and civic engagement.
Looking ahead, the Republic of Korea’s literacy agenda requires a shift in perspective. Rather than focusing solely on headline indicators, there is a need to interpret literacy data more deeply, compare findings across national and international frameworks such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), and broaden the concept of literacy itself. This means asking how literacy relates to lived experience, how different assessment systems illuminate different dimensions of competence, and how emerging forms of digital and social participation reshape what it means to be literate.
The Republic of Korea’s experience demonstrates that numbers are essential starting points, but not endpoints. Literacy gains meaning only when quantitative evidence is read alongside historical context, social inequality and life-course perspectives. Reading beyond the numbers allows literacy to be understood not merely as a measurable outcome, but as a foundation for dignity, participation and lifelong learning.
