Thinking Locally, Acting Globally: Redefining Traditions at the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy

Focusing on three distinctive aspects of the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (KMLA)—its English-only policy, the use of Korean traditions and its success as a college preparatory school—this article examines the ways in which this academically competitive, contemporary high school negotiates the nexus between Korean traditions and globalization. Our research is based on interviews with administrators, faculty, students, and alumni of KMLA and a review of media reports and the school's own literature. We discuss what "Korean Traditions" mean to the members of the school, why these traditions are so important to them, and how KMLA fits into the larger framework of Korea's efforts to revitalize Korean culture and identity in the context of globalization.