President Lee Says "Ability to Ask Questions Must Be Fostered in the AI Era" at Education Ministry Briefing

Fundamental Issues Raised with CSAT and College Admission Assessment System
"Sacrificing Students for Selection Convenience... Not Demanding Immediate Change"
Call for Open Proposal System for Arts and Culture Budgets
Review of Support Syst

On August 5, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), it is more important to ask questions and express new ideas that do not yet exist in the world, rather than simply being able to answer questions." He emphasized the need to fundamentally reconsider the current college admissions and education system, which is focused on multiple-choice formats.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the ministry work briefing on the Ministry of Education, the National Education Committee, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the National Heritage Administration held at the Blue House State Guest House on August 5, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At the ministry work briefing for the Ministry of Education, the National Education Committee, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the National Heritage Administration that day, President Lee addressed the reality that the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and school exams are centered around five-choice multiple-choice questions. He remarked, "We are entering an era where the ability to answer is becoming almost meaningless." He also pointed out, "We continue to teach and assess tasks that even simple computers can easily perform," and added, "Continuing an education system aimed at producing standardized individuals is not education, but rather destructive."

He also expressed the view that the current evaluation method is driven more by administrative logic prioritizing convenience and objectivity in selection procedures, rather than being truly for the benefit of students. President Lee said, "Isn't it the case that, for the sake of easy grading and classification for adults and safe, unquestioned administration, we are sacrificing children?" He continued, "Teaching unnecessary content and turning students into identical individuals does not suit the AI era."

However, while agreeing on the need for essay and descriptive assessments, President Lee took a cautious stance on the possibility that institutional reform could result in a new private education market and greater college admissions confusion. He remarked, "Wouldn't this simply lead to a resurgence of essay academies and 'star teachers'?" He continued, "When the rules change, the settled mud gets stirred up again, and until a new order is established, social conflict can arise." He clarified, "I am not instructing you to change this," and added, "I don't have the answer either, but given that we are transitioning to the AI era, this is a task we must all seriously consider together."

President Lee also called for expanding education targeting not just students but ordinary citizens as well, viewing AI as a new means of production that should be made accessible to everyone. Citing the nationwide spread of computer academies in the past, which accelerated Korea's digital transformation, he stressed the need to "create an AI education and utilization boom" and underlined, "Opportunities for everyday AI usage and education must be provided to the public."

The Ministry of Education reported plans to establish AI advanced research classes in all gifted and science high schools in collaboration with universities and companies, and to operate 4,000 AI-focused schools. Universities will be supported with group AI subscriptions for students, and courses in basic AI literacy and ethics will be newly included in lifelong education. In addition, the government will focus on nurturing regional flagship national universities through the so-called "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities" initiative, expand national scholarships for regional universities, and newly implement region-based agreements for university admissions quotas.

Regarding cultural and artistic policy, President Lee urged the government to move away from collecting opinions only from designated experts and organizations. As the cultural and arts sector is characterized by broad demand and individual diversity, he judged it is difficult to adequately reflect the needs of the field through advisory committees alone. He said, "Even if you designate 10 or 100 experts or representatives, they do not represent the broader cultural and arts community," and proposed an open submission system allowing any cultural artist to propose necessary projects and budgets. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is also considering establishing an “artists’ exclusive grievance hotline” through which on-site artists can report issues such as "passion pay" and grant paybacks.

On the film industry, President Lee likened independent and small to mid-size films to the "fine roots" of the cultural industry and called for expanded support. He stated, "Korea has become a globally acclaimed cultural nation, but government investment in the cultural sector remains extremely weak," stressing that "support in cultural and artistic fields must be greatly expanded."

Additionally, he instructed a review of the 30 overseas branches of the Korea Tourism Organization to assess actual achievements in attracting tourists and international events. In publishing, to further the overseas reach of Korean works, he proposed combining the existing professional translator-centered approach with open recruitment and platform strategies to discover hidden translation talent.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.