[Exclusive] Amid English Kindergarten and Age 7 Test Controversy, Korea Shifts to Reading... "Year of Reading" to Launch in January

"Developing Irreplaceable Thinking Skills in the Age of AI, Through Books"
Shifting the Focus from 'English' to 'Reading'
A Solution to the Overheating of Early Childhood Private Education

The National Assembly will declare next January as the "Year of Reading Nation" and embark on transforming the educational paradigm to suit the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The Ministry of Education also mentioned "reading and humanities education for humanity needed in the AI era" in its work report to President Lee Jaemyung on December 12. The ministry announced plans to newly establish a "school culture of reading" in 1,000 schools next year, signaling a strengthening of reading education within schools.

Children at a daycare center are reading books in the library. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the National Assembly Education Committee on December 16, the National Assembly will hold a "Reading Nation Launch Ceremony" on January 23 next year to discuss a lifelong reading education system that covers all stages from early childhood to high school. The plan is to build a national reading ecosystem that connects "reading schools, reading communities, and reading cities." Education authorities, including the Ministry of Education and provincial and metropolitan education offices, will all attend the event to announce detailed action plans.

Kim Youngho, Chairman of the National Assembly Education Committee, said in an interview with The Asia Business Daily, "Deep thinking and complex problem-solving skills that cannot be replaced by AI come from reading," adding, "I propose a national reading education initiative to foster future talent." To this end, two forums will be held on December 17 and 22, and a pan-societal coalition called the "Reading Era Committee" will also be launched.

Kim Youngho, Chairman of the National Assembly Education Committee, is giving an interview to The Asia Business Daily at the National Assembly. 2025.12.10 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The Reading Nation initiative is expected to serve as an alternative to excessive early English education and private education for young children. On December 8, the National Assembly Education Committee passed the "Infant Level Test Ban Act," which aims to address the problems caused by the "age 4 and age 7 qualification tests," and moved to strengthen regulations on English kindergartens. Chairman Kim stated, "The situation where private education dominates to the extent that children as young as three or five are taking level tests must be improved," emphasizing, "Once children develop the habit of reading, there is no need for anyone to teach them. Reading is the key method to restore the integrity of public education in Korea and to substantially reduce the burden of private education." He further suggested, "As a measure to reduce the negative effects of early English private education, I propose 'reading kindergartens' instead of English kindergartens." The Korea Kindergarten Association has reportedly shown a positive response to the transition to reading kindergartens. The goal is to pilot reading kindergartens by 2028.

The Reading Nation initiative consists of "reading kindergartens" at the preschool level, "reading-focused elementary schools," and a "reading semester system" that replaces the free semester system for first-year middle school students. The plan is to create a reading environment throughout kindergarten, elementary, and middle school, and to enable everyone to have a database (DB) similar to a "reading resume," which can be linked to the high school credit system and career counseling.

This Reading Nation initiative is also expected to provide answers regarding "in-school teaching methods," which are currently missing from the ongoing discussions about reforming the college admissions evaluation system. There is talk within the education sector about the possible introduction of a "written and essay-based evaluation" for the 2033 College Scholastic Ability Test. However, since no educational plans tailored to these evaluation changes have been released, concerns are growing among parents that this will ultimately drive students further into private education.

The Reading Nation initiative is focused on filling these gaps within public education. By making reading, writing, and discussion a routine part of the regular curriculum from kindergarten through high school, the aim is to systematically foster literacy, creativity, and critical thinking skills, thereby naturally supporting changes in the college admissions system. The National Assembly is also considering strengthening reading education institutionally through the revision of the "Basic Academic Achievement Guarantee Act."

Chairman Kim emphasized, "Reading, discussion, and humanities education, which are at the core of nurturing talent in the AI era, can make schools much more competitive than private academies," adding, "Now is the perfect opportunity to cure Korea's chronic educational problems and achieve a major transformation in education."