A new wave of assertiveness is sweeping through South Korean universities, challenging long-held traditions of professorial authority. Today’s students are becoming increasingly vocal about their academic rights, especially concerning their grades.
"When I first started teaching here, students would barely come in after major exams to ask for clarification," said a Korean professor who wished to be identified simply as Don. He has been teaching international relations at a private college in Gyeonggi Province since 2004.
"Now, they want to see everything, down to the tiniest detail."
This shift marks a striking departure from Korea's traditional academic culture, where questioning a professor's judgment was often seen as inappropriate or disrespectful. The change reflects broader transformations in Korean society, particularly in how younger generations view authority and their rights as consumers of education.
A lecturer who wished to remain anonymous has also observed this evolution firsthand. "In the past, nobody used to complain about their test scores," said she who teaches statistics at a women's university in Seoul.
"Now, at least 1 in 10 students come to contest their grades or demand to see their tests. I provide detailed statistical data for every exam -- averages, means, standard deviations -- but that's not enough. They want to verify the grading themselves."
The surge in grade consciousness isn't merely about a sense of entitlement, these professors say. Instead, it reflects students' heightened awareness of fairness and transparency, especially in view of the increasingly competitive job market. With limited career opportunities and fierce competition for scholarships and internships, every grade point could have make-or-break consequences.
It also reflects a broader change in how Korean students view their education -- as an investment that demands accountability from service providers. While some professors initially found this new dynamic troubling, many now acknowledge that increased transparency benefits everyone involved.
"Back in those days, there was a joke among professors that they would grade using fans -- turning on a fan before a pile of test sheets and seeing which ones fly off (to determine who gets bad scores)," said a mathematics professor at a university in Seoul who is retiring next year after three decades of teaching and spoke on condition of anonymity.
"Those days are gone. Now professors must actually show their work."
Universities have responded by implementing institutional changes. Many now require professors to provide detailed grading rubrics in their syllabi and use electronic systems to track attendance and assignments. These changes have made it easier for students to monitor their academic standing and raise concerns when necessary.
Professors have adapted their teaching methods accordingly. In recent years, as a growing number of students began requesting to see their peers' work for comparison, Don, the international relations professor, started providing anonymized model responses for reference.
"I was somewhat taken aback at first," he admits, "but they made a fair case."
"These days, I always tell my students at the beginning of each semester that they have the right to ask for clarification about their grades, and professors have an obligation to address their questions," he says. "Just as professors have their rights, so do the students."
