Comparative Study on the Early Childhood Education System in South and North Korea for the Preparation of Unification

통일대비 남·북한 유아교육제도 비교

This study aims at comparing and analyzing early childhood education systems in both South and North Koreas and suggesting educational alternatives for integrating in various aspects based on it, in order to build directions of early childhood education system in the preparation of Unification. A comparative study on the early childhood education system in South and North Korea was done in terms of early childhood education, public education of early childhood. As a result, there were differences rather than similarities in many areas due to the differences of political ideology between the South and the North. First, early childhood is not compulsory, but becomes public in South, while it is partially compulsory and has an overall public system in North in terms of its compulsory education and Pulic education. Second, as a result of comparing operating systems depending on early childhood education institutions in the South and North, there were differences in various areas such as subjects of foundation, classification of age, operating types, etc. Third, looking at its administrative support system, two Koreas has a similarity of a overall dual system, but showed a specific difference. Fourth, its public support had a similarity that early childhood education is done free of charge in two Koreas. In light of the results of comparing the early childhood education system in South and North Korea, this study suggests the following implications. First, as part of an effort to restore similarities of the early childhood education system between two Koreas, a challenge that must be addressed with priority is to integrate early childhood education-nursery in the early childhood education for age 3-5. Second, we'll take an effort to include the early childhood education for age 3-5 in the basic disciplines with 'Making early childhood education public' being currently focused. In addition, we should an attitude to recover a similarity through mutual exchange and to have advantages of the early childhood education in two Koreas as a challenge of taking an effort to integrate the early childhood education in the South and the North various studies and debates, discussions will be made for the meaning of the early childhood education and the integration.

본 연구는 통일대비 유아교육제도의 방향성 정립을 위해 남 북한 유아교육제도를 비교 분석하고, 이를 바탕으로 다양한 영역에서의 통합을 위한 교육적 대안을 제시하고자 한다. 남 북한 유아교육제도의 비교는 유아교육의 의무교육 및 공교육, 유아교육기관 운영, 유아교육에 대한 행정 및 공적지원체계측면에서 이루어졌다. 연구결과 남 북한 유아교육제도는 서로 다른 양 체제의 사회적인 성격과 이념의 차이로 인해 유사점보다는 여러 영역에서 많은 차이점을 드러냈다. 남 북한 유아교육제도를 비교한 연구결과에 비추어 다음과 같은 시사점을 도출하였다. 첫째, 남 북한 유아교육제도의 동질성 회복을 위한 노력의 일환으로 만 3-5세 유아교육에서의 유아교육-보육 간 통합을 위한 노력의 필요성이다. 둘째, '유아공교육화'와 함께 만 3-5세 유아교육을 기본 학제 속에 포함시키기 위한 논의의 필요성이다. 또한 통일대비 남 북한 상호교류를 통한 협력을 강화하여 이질성을 극복하고, 남 북한 유아교육제도의 장점을 살린 새로운 제도를 구성하고자 노력하는 것이 필요하다 할 것이다.