The purpose of this paper is to examine the present condition and challenges of Korean vocabulary education. This study considers the status of the Korean vocabulary education in five aspects: Korean textbooks compilation, the construction of a database and the compilation of the dictionary, the contents and teaching methods, the process of acquiring Korean language teacher's licence, and the vocabulary test of the Korean Proficiency Test(KPT). First, it needs the construction of a general database to develop the Korean vocabulary education and then based on these data, the Korean textbooks will be compiled. Second, the studies of the Korean vocabulary education need to be more detailed, systematic, and comprehensive. Third, it is necessary to organize the Korean vocabulary teaching methods systematically. Finally, the studies of the Korean vocabulary education will have to be aimed at learners who speak many different languages. (Sookmyung Women's University)