There has been a recent movement in Korea to invigorate whole-person education in K-12 schools by developing students’ social and emotional competencies (SECs). As a means to promote these SECs, social and emotional learning (SEL) is receiving heightened attention in Korea. One reason for this is because adolescents’ psychological and behavioral problems (including depression, suicide, bullying, harassment, and delinquency) are on the rise. In part to address these national challenges, the Korean government has instituted the Character Education Promotion Act (CEPA). Under this Act, SEL is now a particular focus in schools and school subjects. In this chapter, we scrutinize the trends and essence of SEL-related research and practice in Korea, particularly as relevant to CEPA.