Busan City Launches 'Busan-Style International Student Recruitment Support Task Force'

TF Meeting Held at City Hall at 3:30 PM on the 4th... Local Universities, Industries, Related Organizations, and Government Ministries Participate

Study Busan 30K Project Achieves Step-by-Step Goals... Continued Efforts to Reach Target by 2028

The city of Busan held a meeting of the 'Busan Model International Student Recruitment Support Task Force (TF)' at the City Hall main conference room on the afternoon of the 4th at 3:30 PM to discuss the direction of the 'Busan Model International Student Recruitment and Development Plan' project.

Busan-type International Student Recruitment Support Task Force (TF) Meeting.

The meeting was presided over by Lee Joonseung, Busan's Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, and attended by vice presidents and directors of international offices from local universities, vice presidents of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Busan Employers Federation, the CEO of the Busan Global City Foundation, the head of the Employment Support Division at Busan Economic Promotion Agency, officials from Busan Regional Office of SMEs and Startups, Busan Regional Employment and Labor Office, and Busan Immigration Office.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss step-by-step support measures for attracting, educating, employing, and settling international students in collaboration with universities, industry, and government departments. By sharing information among institutions, the goal is to vitalize the Busan regional economy and strengthen the global competitiveness of local universities, ultimately making Busan a 'top destination for studying abroad.'

During the meeting, information was shared among institutions regarding international student support programs at local universities and government policies for supporting international students.

The city plans to expand the proportion of international students in STEM fields to foster talent connected to local industries and, in the long term, diversify the countries from which students are recruited and attract high-level talent. Under the Regional Innovation-led University Support System (RISE), the city will establish a one-stop support system from recruitment to settlement in collaboration with local universities.

To establish and vitalize a virtuous cycle for attracting and settling international students, the city will continue to hold meetings of the 'Busan Model International Student Recruitment Support Task Force (TF)' and provide opportunities for ongoing communication with universities.

The city, together with local universities, will hold a Busan Study Abroad Information Session in Vietnam this November, and next year plans to target Mongolia and Central Asia. Additionally, the city will invite local education officials from countries visited this year to Busan to strengthen exchanges with local universities.

Furthermore, as the central government has recently announced numerous policies and support measures to attract international students, the city plans to actively cooperate with these initiatives.

The city also proposed improvements to the visa system at the 7th Central-Local Cooperation Meeting together with other local governments.

In response, the Ministry of Justice announced the 'New Immigration Policy Implementation Plan' in September. The plan includes extending the job-seeking and internship period for international student graduates, allowing employment in non-professional fields, diversifying talent recruitment, and introducing a 'Top-tier Visa' for overseas talent in advanced fields and a 'Youth Dream Visa' for young people from United Nations Korean War allied countries and major economic partner countries.

In March, at the 42nd Emergency Economic Response Meeting, the city announced the 'Study Busan 30K Project' under the vision of 'Busan, the Best City for Studying Abroad and a Global Hub City,' setting three main goals to be achieved by 2028: 1) Attracting 30,000 international students, 2) Increasing the proportion of STEM students among international students to 30%, and 3) Raising the employment and job-seeking visa conversion rate to 40%.

According to educational statistics released in August, the total number of international students nationwide surpassed 200,000, and the number of international students in Busan increased by 25% year-on-year to about 15,000. The proportion of STEM students among international students rose by 1.2 percentage points to 13.2%, and the visa conversion rate for employment and job-seeking increased by 4.6 percentage points to 26.6%, achieving the step-by-step targets.

Lee Joonseung, Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, stated, "International students are familiar with the Korean language and our culture, which gives them an advantage in employment and settling in the region. To address future population outflow and revitalize the local economy, local governments, universities, and industry must work together on international student recruitment and development." He added, "Based on today's discussions, we will promote regionally tailored international student support policies under the Regional Innovation-led University Support System (RISE) and make Busan a 'top global hub city for studying abroad.'"

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