21st century society is characterized by information, knowledges and culture as well as by competition among nations and countries. In this century colleges and universities are expected to play greater role in dealing with tasks of the society. In the past, the Korean government regulated broad range of academic affairs of colleges and universities. Colleges and universities had uniform rules and regulations that dealt with curriculum development and management . As a result, colles and universities could not develop general educaion programs reflecting their own partivular conditions and university golas. The Ministry of Educations is preparing the autonnomization measures of academic affairs in order to allow each college and university to develop their unique general education program.Once the presidential decree that regulated general education program recise, colleges and universities are expected to assess their own general program for the better one. At this juncture, it is needed to review important issues that related to the refroming of gemeral educaion programs . For this purpose , it will examine the goals of general educaion in the historical perspective, types and components of general educaion, and major consideraions of general educaion curriculum. Colles and universities mihgt consider the followings in their reforming of general educational curriculum. 1) Colleges and universities establich their own goals and definitions of general educaion taking account of the historical development of general educaion and multifarius aspects of general education. 2) Types of general educaion curriculum fall into three categories: core curriculum, distributional requirement subjects, free elective. Considering the homogeneous body of students of their age and ablities in Korea, colleges and universities might offer core curriculum or requirement courses for the studnets. 3) Colleges and universities might have different general educaion coures requirements cionsidering unique features and conditions of students\' colles, division, field, etc. 4) The general educaion curriculum be connected closely with the majof currirulum and with high school curriculum. 5) Colleges and universities strengthen the development and management of interdisciplinary or interdepartmental courses in order to promote the faculty menbers and students among different dapartments share reaesrch results and teaching resources. 6) Colleges and universities develop diverse curiculum courses i norder to take account of students\' varying skills, interests, and learning styles. 7) In order to raise the quality of general educaion curriculum colleges and universities make various efforts: to promote free competition among the faculty members in offering general educaion courses, intergration of similar coures, diversification of teaching menthods, development of model courses, students\' taking greater role in learing, etc.