South Korean students have achieved the top ranking among 32 countries in terms of computer literacy, and second place in computational thinking, assessed among 22 nations, according to the 2023 International Computer and Information Literacy Study.

According to the report released by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement on Tuesday, South Korean middle school students scored an average of 540 in computer and information literacy, significantly surpassing the international average of 476.

The computer literacy test measures the ability of individuals to use computers to investigate, create, and communicate in order to effectively participate at home, school, work and society.

For computational thinking, Korean students earned an average of 537, closely following Taiwan. This area measures students' abilities to recognize real-world problems that can be solved with computers, develop and evaluate algorithmic solutions, and apply coding principles to solve these problems.

The ICILS survey, which has been conducted every five years since 2013, involved over 5,000 schools and 132,998 students globally, with participation from 152 middle schools and 3,723 students in South Korea.

The report also showed Korean students are less restricted from using digital devices outside of school compared to the international average, suggesting that to address the issue of digital device over-immersion, the government needs to strengthen digital citizenship education at the school level, as well as provide support and guidance at home.

“Computer and information literacy and computational thinking are core competencies for students to live in the digital age, so we need to provide more opportunities to cultivate them in public education,” said an Education Ministry official.

With Korea's revised school curriculum emphasizing digital literacy to be introduced next year along with AI digital textbooks for customized education, the government will actively support students in developing as "digital citizens" with the ability to use digital devices correctly and safely, the Education Ministry said.