There is a growing interest in the Common Core State Standardsamong researchers and educators in Korea, along with increased attentionto the future curricular standards for Korean language education. This study analyzes the core reading competencies that the CCSS anchorstandards for reading represent. Five core reading skills are identified:close reading, digital text reading, multiple text reading, disciplinary reading,and complex text reading. This review, based on the state-of-theartresearch in reading, suggests that while the CCSS standards reflect therole and importance of text in treading and the central themes of literacyresearch (e.g., new literacies, content area literacy, multiple text reading),the accounts of these five core reading skills do not fully honor the complexitiesof reading that research has explicated in the past decades. TheCCSS standards lack consideration in reader factors (e.g., prior knowledge,metacognition, motivation, development): The CCSS standards heavilyemphasize text-based reading skills, which are required for comprehendingcomplex texts analytically. A consequence is that the CCSS standardsdescribe reading as a text-driven cognitive enterprise and are silent aboutaffective, social, and developmental competencies that are essential for studentgrowth. Implications are discussed, in relation to what promises andlimits should be considered in interpreting the CCSS as Korean educatorsattempt to envision future Korean language curricular standards.