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This article explores national curriculum change initiated by the South Korean state by examining the 2015 curriculum reform. Relying on interviews with policy actors who participated in the curriculum-making process, I aimed to understand how certain reform ideas within an institutionalized, state-led curriculum change made—or failed to make—their way into official documents. Three main themes emerged from interviews: (a) entrepreneurial vision supported by elite bureaucrats and politicians, (b) education professors importing performance standards from the United States, and (c) parent-citizens empowered by education consumerism opposing elitism. Based on the data analysis, I argue cyclical South Korean national curriculum revisions, dominated by Korean elites, function as a social apparatus to disseminate and underpin neoliberal ideology. I also argue parent-citizens' political activism—empowered by three decades of education consumerism policies—succeeded in challenging Korean elitism and demonstrated anti-neoliberalism potential. As a theoretical framework, I chose critical works addressing neoliberal education reform discourses. I conclude by discussing the future of national curriculum making in the continued process of neoliberalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in zero energy buildings is increasing in South Korea. Zero energy buildings need to save energy by using passive technology. The window performance is important to the thermal insulation of the building. Also, the government regulates the window performance through regulation and standards. However, it is difficult to predict window performance because the components of the window have become complicated due to the various materials used in the glass and frame. Based on window performance standards and regulations, the quality of window performance was managed. In this research, to consider thermal performance in proper window design in South Korea, we confirmed the impact on the thermal performance of the window through various kinds of materials and shapes. The authors also propose a window shape classification and frame calculation method based on actual test results. The authors analyzed the thermal performance data of the windows provided by the Korea Energy Agency and confirmed the change in the thermal performance of the windows by year and by frame material. The average U-value of the window decreased from 2012 to 2015 and maintained similar values until 2017. In 2018, this value was decreased to comply. Also, the authors confirmed the U-value of the windows through actual physical experiments and confirmed the change in thermal performance by the construction of the windows based on the results. The results show, in the case of aluminum windows, the U-value corresponding to Grade 3 (1.4–2.1 W/m2·K) was as high as about 60%. Regarding the analyzed results of the U-values of PVC windows, Grade 3 (U-value of 1.4–2.1 W/m2·K) accounted for about 35%, and Grade 2 (U-value of 1.0–1.4 W/m2·K) for about 29%. This paper also confirmed that the frame U-value of the PVC windows is lower than the frame U-value of the aluminum windows. Therefore, the authors proposed the performance index of the glazing part in PVC and aluminum window design. The results of this research can be used as basic data to identify problems in the method of determining the performance of windows in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]