The End of South Korea's Rural Schools

Every Wednesday I teach at what must be one of the smallest public schools in South Korea: Anpyeong Middle School, home to just seven students. Seven students. That’s two 7th graders, three 8th graders, and two 9th graders. The school is set to close next year. Its closing represents the end of an era in South Korean public education, which is now dominated by urban magnet schools and private academies (hagwons). The South Korean countryside’s been losing relevance (and people and jobs) for d