Abstract

South Korea took only 30 years to industrialise and transformed from a poor agricultural economy to a rapidly developing industrial economy. This achievement based on the education policy which regulated vocational education to accumulate human capital according to the development of industrialization. During such a rapidprocess of industrialization, the government of South Korea played and important role in coordinating the market labor needs and vocational education. When emerging industries need different levels of human resources, the government can organize national education systems to accommodate the needs. The vocational education system in Korea has been regarded to supply skilled human capital needed for rapid economic development at the right time at the right place. However, the real status of vocational education in South Korea is undervalued. The factors influence vocational education development are variety, this essay will analyze from three aspects: economic impact, political factor and cultural influences with human capital theory applied into analyzation.