Climate Change Education and Education for Sustainable Development in the Republic of Korea: A Status Report

The Republic of Korea (ROK) has officially declared its national vision of green growth, and actively develops and implements policies related to education for sustainable development (ESD), green growth education (GGE) and climate change education (CCE). Over the Decade of ESD, the ROK experienced three administrations which have taken different approaches to sustainable development (SD). In June 2005, the president of Korea announced the ‘National Vision for Sustainable Development’ and the government enacted the Basic Law on Sustainable Development in August 2007 for the systemization of ESD. The government change in 2008 brought about a huge shift in the national trend concerning SD. The new administration adopted the policy of ‘Low Carbon, Green Growth’ and formed the Presidential Committee on Green Growth (PCGG). In Korea’s present system, ESD is implemented by central governmental organizations, major institutions, the governmental commissions, local governments, civil organizations, etc. In particular, the establishment of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO on ESD in 2009 along with the release of the Green Growth Education Activation Plan created an enabling environment for GGE and ESD implementation. The new Park Geun-hye administration entered office in 2013 and has geared all the policies towards promoting the social well-being of all Korean citizens. This has served to counterbalance the previous Lee administration’s focus on the green economy and to set the stage for holistic approaches to ESD in the country.