KOREA FOUNDATION

Increasing Interest in Student Records

An increasing number of people in Korea are looking into their past school records. Many post screenshots of the records to their Instagram or other social media accounts. Until recently, one had to visit their alma mater to obtain such records from elementary and secondary schools; now, they are easily accessible via Government24, a website operated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Anyone who graduated from high school after January 2003 can access their student records on the website.

The records offer a variety of facts, from academic grades to activities in- and outside the classroom, but inquirers seem most interested in the “behavioral specifics and overall comments” written by their homeroom teachers. Reading the teachers’ observations and comments, people look back upon their student-selves, imagining how they must have looked in the eyes of the educators. The comments are usually positive, making the readers smile and have their pride enhanced, if not restored.

For a generation interested in increasing self-awareness, taking the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test or reading student records have proved to be interesting and popular ways to getting to know and explore oneself. In November last year, these records became also available on the Korean mobile messenger KakaoTalk and the NAVER smartphone app, so the trend of looking into student records is likely to continue for some time.

Student RecordsGovernment24behavioral specifics and overall commentsMyers–Briggs Type IndicatorMBTI