From education to entrepreneurship: the South Korean experience of universities modernization

The article considers the modernization experience of South Korea related to creation of innovative-entrepreneurial universities in the current context of the existing global tendency of innovative economy and social development, based on knowledge. The new generation universities realize the idea of the third mission, which means that activity of university community aimed at social and economic development of country along with education and research activity. The South Korean government focused on the existing American models, and at the same time, the modernization is basing on national specific characteristics of institutions and sociocultural features of society. South Korean experience demonstrates that the mission of universities to develop innovative entrepreneurship works only when universities perform their institutional missions (academic training and research) and when the cultural environment, motivating to getting knowledge, is not exhausted by entrepreneurial ethos. The modernization experience of East Asian countries such as South Korea can define the guideline for Russia, which is going further towards the postindustrial society.