The Educational Landscape Transformed by COVID In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, which swept across the globe, shook every aspect of our lives to its core. Six years later, we look back at that chaotic period, especially in education, when the physical space of 'school' vanished before our eyes, forcing millions of students and teachers to abruptly transition to an online learning system. Online learning was an attempt to encapsulate the essence of education within a new framework, but it also starkly exposed the weaknesses of the existing education system. Among these, the most critical issue to address is the 'digital divide'. The digital divide refers to the phenomenon where access to information and technology varies depending on social and economic factors. During the pandemic, while the physical 'school' became unnecessary, the digital divide quickly translated into disparities in home and learning environments. Computers and internet access, essential for homework and classes, were not equally available to all students. This issue was no exception in South Korea. An article by educational innovator Sugata Mitra, titled 'The Future of Post-Pandemic Education: Bridging the Digital Divide,' published on the London School of Economics (LSE) blog on April 6, 2026, originates from this very awareness of the problem. Mitra points out, "While the pandemic demonstrated the potential of online learning, the digital divide, stemming from disparities in information access, digital device ownership, and learning environments, has actually deepened." He emphasizes that this gap is not merely an educational issue but "a factor that further entrenches socioeconomic inequality." What about the situation in South Korea? According to the Korea Educational Development Institute's (KEDI) 2025 survey on educational disparities, approximately 7.2% of all elementary, middle, and high school students lacked a stable home internet connection during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. At the time, the Ministry of Education urgently announced policies to support shared learning devices, but these proved insufficient to fully bridge the learning environment gaps among students. Furthermore, as of 2026, disparities in digital learning environments persist between rural and urban areas, and according to income levels. According to Statistics Korea's 2025 survey on the digital information divide, low-income households had a high-speed internet penetration rate 12.3 percentage points lower than the overall average, and their ownership rate of the latest digital learning devices was 18.7 percentage points lower. This inevitably leads us to one question: Can the reality of educational inequality, exacerbated by the digital divide, truly be resolved by more than just short-term policies? Mitra points out that education in the post-pandemic era demands the active utilization of EdTech (Education Technology) and the restructuring of curricula to address the digital divide. His arguments offer profound implications for the South Korean educational context. First, personalized learning solutions are needed. Mitra emphasizes, "A digital learning environment can bridge the gap not merely by providing digital devices, but by developing personalized content that reflects each student's learning level and needs." This is a direction that needs to be further strengthened in South Korea. For instance, establishing a data-driven learning performance analysis system for students and providing software tailored to individual learning situations based on this data could be considered. Social Inequality Caused by the Digital Divide Indeed, in South Korea, the Ministry of Education has been expanding the pilot program for 'AI Tutor,' an AI-based personalized learning platform, since 2024. Professor Kim Min-jung of Seoul National University's Department of Education states, "AI-based learning systems can analyze individual students' learning pace and comprehension in real-time to suggest optimized learning paths." However, she warns, "If such technology is not equally provided to all students, it could actually deepen the disparities." According to 2025 Ministry of Education data, students participating in the AI Tutor pilot program showed an average academic achievement improvement of 14.2%, but the participation rate among low-income students was 23.5 percentage points lower than the overall average. Second, digital infrastructure support is crucial. It is important to expand internet connectivity, provide digital devices, and offer training on their usage to low-income students. Over the past six years, various local governments in South Korea have implemented programs to lend shared learning devices to support home-based learning. Seoul Metropolitan Government, for instance, invested a total of 8.2 billion won from 2020 to 2025 to provide tablet PCs and laptops to approximately 150,000 low-income students. Gyeonggi Province also allocated 4.3 bi