Seoul Youth Hostel and English Village Designated as Temporary Residence Facilities for Incoming International Students

About 17,000 Incoming International Students
5 Additional Temporary Housing Facilities in Seoul

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Five locations, including Seoul Youth Hostel and Seoul English Village, have been designated as self-quarantine facilities for Chinese international students.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Education, a countermeasure meeting on the protection and support plan for Chinese international students arriving in Korea was held on the morning of the 21st, and this decision was made. The total number of international students expected to arrive from China is approximately 17,000.

Kim Gyutae, Director of Higher Education Policy at the Ministry of Education, stated at a briefing held at the Government Seoul Office Building in the afternoon, "Universities will prioritize accommodating students in dormitories and idle facilities. Temporary residential facilities will be provided for students who, after arrival, show suspected symptoms but test negative, or for international students who have been notified to self-quarantine but have no place to stay."

Currently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is utilizing facilities such as the Talent Development Center as temporary residential facilities, and five additional locations including Seoul Youth Hostel and Seoul English Village are expected to be used. A Ministry of Education official explained, "These facilities will be used in exceptional cases where students are not confirmed positive but have symptoms and tested negative, or must self-quarantine due to unavoidable contact but have no residence."

The Ministry of Education also stated that if the number of confirmed cases increases further, they will follow the decisions of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

Director Kim added, "If personnel are assigned to monitor international students living outside dormitories, local districts and Seoul city have agreed to support budgets for securing such personnel," and said, "To protect and support Chinese international students, we will continue cooperation with universities and local governments by providing student information and prepare detailed manuals to be presented."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.