Education and research in the humanities have been badly neglected in the universities in Korea in recent decades. The effect is being felt in the wide-spreading mindlessness noticeable both within the university community and in the society as a whole. Political education or ideological education, much talked about these days, is meaningless if not ground in the humanistic tradition. Yet there seems to be little awareness of the vital connection between the two. The humanities were neglected because of the tremendous premium this country has been placing on the need for rapid economic growth. Any field not directly contributing to material production or social organization was bound to be relegated to the background. But the neglect is also attributable to a deplorable lack of understanding concerning the nature of humanistic disciplines and education. As a conclusion, this paper emphasizes the need to reexamine the state of the humanities and general education at the national level, and to put in the necesary resources, both financial and human. In particular, it urges the need to revise the existing curricula at all levels of education including the university and strengthen the library resources.