Konfuzianismus im pädagogischen Alltag Südkoreas – Aus kulturvergleichender und autobiographischer Sicht1

This article will attempt to present the educational culture in South Korea by interpreting central historical pictures from a culture-comparative and autobiographical perspective. The analysis will, firstly, describe the quasi-Confucianist tradition, which heavily influenced daily educational life in the 500 years leading up to the start of the 20th century, traces of which can still be found today. We will, secondly, critically analyze the central figure of the “suffering individual” in the community-centered educational atmosphere of Confucianist cultures. Finally, the modern global tendency towards performance orientation and the view of education as human capital will be analyzed within this context.