To Fill Regional Population Gaps with 'International Students'... "Beyond Recruitment, Settlement Conditions Must Improve"

Non-metropolitan Areas See Short Stays, Few Students Settle Locally
Need for Policy Framework Covering Attraction, Study, Employment, and Settlement

Although the number of international students coming to Korea has recently increased, there are still concerns that the policy goals of encouraging settlement in local regions and securing much-needed industrial talent have not been fully achieved. Experts point out that, for policies on international students to serve as a solution to the population cliff crisis, it is necessary to move beyond simply competing to increase the number of international students. Instead, a detailed step-by-step strategy covering academic study, employment, and settlement is required.

According to the report "Possibilities and Future Tasks for Overcoming the Population Cliff Crisis through Attracting International Students" released by the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) on November 21, the number of international students in Korea increased from 49,000 in 2007 to 208,000 in 2024, a 4.2-fold increase. Of these, the number enrolled in degree programs rose from 32,056 to 145,778, a 4.5-fold increase, while those in non-degree programs increased from 17,214 to 63,184, a 3.7-fold increase. Notably, there has been a rise in the number of students coming to Korea to obtain formal degrees, rather than simply to participate in language training programs.

The countries of origin for students in degree programs have also become more diverse. In 2014, students from China accounted for 64.3% of the total, but by 2024, this figure had dropped to 43.0%. The remaining proportion was made up of students from Vietnam, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Nepal, and other countries.

Choi Jungyun, Senior Research Fellow at KEDI, stated, "Since the 2000s, active policies to attract international students have achieved certain quantitative and qualitative results. In particular, the diversification of students’ countries of origin and majors expands the channels for attracting international students, disperses risks in the international student market, and contributes to the globalization of domestic university campuses."

However, the situation is different when viewed from the perspective of addressing population decline. An analysis of the changes in the distribution of international students in degree programs by region over the past 10 years shows that the proportion of degree-seeking international students in non-metropolitan areas has decreased, while the proportion of non-degree international students increased from 39.1% in 2014 to 45.0% in 2024.

This indicates that the increase in international students at universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area is mainly concentrated in non-degree programs such as language training, and even as the number of international students grows, their length of stay at universities and in the local region remains short. This is seen as a negative factor in terms of encouraging regional settlement.

Choi explained, "In a survey of international students, about 45% of respondents indicated plans to stay in Korea after graduation. Among those who expressed intentions to find employment in Korea, over 60% cited Seoul as their preferred location, regardless of where they graduated. There is also a growing trend of students using language programs at non-metropolitan universities with lower entry barriers as a stepping stone, before transferring to universities in Seoul." She added, "These findings suggest that, if international students are to be recruited as a solution to the population decline in local areas, there is a need to develop strategies that go beyond current policies."

Choi identified several key tasks for making international student policies more effective as a strategy to address the population cliff: establishing a policy evaluation system based on analysis of each stage-attraction, academic study, employment, and settlement; coordinating policy and implementation goals among central government, local governments, and universities; and advancing local government strategies for international students in connection with regional industries and long-term development plans.

She advised, "Because international students have diverse academic goals, attracting them does not necessarily lead to the policy outcomes intended by the government. Rather than focusing on one-off events such as job fairs, the emphasis should be on improving settlement conditions and living environments, as well as providing employment links and job support, to ensure genuine settlement."

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