South Korea: From Illiteracy to Affluence

"At the end of World War II, South Korea’s literacy rate stood at only 25 percent. Today, virtually 100 percent of Koreans are literate. How did such a poor country manage to educate its citizens? Who paid the bill? This program examines these questions, and the important role that education has played in Korea’s dramatic leap from one of the poorest nations in Asia, to economic superiority in just a few decades. Gripping post-war and modern footage combined with interviews and touching personal stories provide surprising answers to how it was done. Other nations, including our own, can learn from this small but mighty economic power. (29 minutes)" (text taken from Films for the Humanities and Sciences)