This chapter examines English education in South Korea during the Fourth National Curriculum Period, a period marked by democratization, globalization, and increasing educational reform. As Korean society became more open and internationally connected, English proficiency gained heightened importance in higher education, employment, and global communication. The chapter highlights how communicative language teaching principles began to influence policy discourse, leading to curricular revisions that emphasized listening and speaking alongside traditional reading and grammar instruction. However, despite these policy-level shifts, classroom practices remained largely constrained by high-stakes examinations and entrenched teaching traditions. The chapter also discusses the rapid expansion of private English education during this period, which intensified competition and widened socioeconomic disparities in access to quality English instruction. Overall, the chapter argues that the late twentieth century represented a transitional phase in which communicative ideals and examination-driven realities coexisted, shaping enduring tensions in English education that continue to influence teaching practices and policy debates in South Korea.