The Status Quo of Korean Secondary English Education in the New Millenium

English language education in Korea has experienced vast changes in the last decade, towards more effective and globalized language teaching. To examine the changes of secondary English education in Korea over the last decade, this study reviews several reforms made to English language education at secondary schools. More specifically, the important innovations made in an effort to globalize Korean students are addressed. Among the innovations in the secondary English education were the revision of the 7^th National Curriculum of English, the employment of native English speaking teachers (EPIK), and the reinforcement of teaching English in English (TEE). This study also looks at the English teacher employment exam for secondary schools and what kinds of changes have been made to date. Moreover, it discusses the recent effort to develop the National English Ability Test (NEAT). In short, this study aims to provide a bird’s eye view of the Korean secondary English education by discussing the major reforms made to English language education at secondary schools over the last decade.