New Online Lifelong Education Center 'Pyeongsaeng Baeumteo' Established... Enables Employment and Credit Acquisition

Ministry of Education Discusses 'Innovative Plans for Open Lifelong Education and Training in the Digital Era'
Korean-style Online Open Courses Involve Domestic and International Scholars
Challenging Learning Through 'Black Ribbon' Courses

Provided by the Ministry of Education

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] A new "Lifelong Learning Center (tentative name)" will be established, allowing customized lifelong education and training through online platforms. This will also enable employment and academic credit acquisition.

On the 23rd, the Ministry of Education discussed the "Innovation Plan for Open Lifelong Education and Training in the Digital Era" at the 16th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting and the 6th Human Investment and Talent Development Council held at the Government Sejong Complex.

The Lifelong Learning Center will allow learners to easily search and access desired education and training content without navigating multiple websites. The learning history accumulated through this will be utilized via AI analysis to provide customized content and design new learning pathways. Based on learning outcomes, it will be possible to link to employment, entrepreneurship, and job placement, as well as to acquire academic credits and degrees.

To increase the utilization of Korean-style Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), various thematic lectures will be developed and offered, centered on renowned domestic and international scholars and figures. University online courses will also be included, and classes combining online discussions, peer evaluations, and offline seminars will be provided. Learner usage scores and provider benefits will gradually be expanded. Additionally, a new "Black Ribbon (tentative name)" course will be established, offering advanced-level courses.

Remote universities, previously only available at specialized graduate schools, will be further expanded, and 2-year cyber universities will be able to establish advanced major courses similar to junior colleges. Furthermore, the lifelong education voucher support amount will be increased from 350,000 KRW to a maximum of 700,000 KRW, and the support targets will be expanded from low-income groups to include career-interrupted women and job seekers.