South Korea's Foreign Student Population Hits Record High, Exceeding 310,000

According to the Korea Immigration Service, which is run by the justice ministry, the number of foreign students stood at 314,397 as of February, marking the first time the figure has exceeded the 310,000 level.

By category, 238,905 students were enrolled in universities and other higher education institutions, while 75,033 were Korean language trainees and 459 were other language trainees, reports Yonhap news agency.

The number of foreign students has roughly doubled over the past five years, from 153,361 at the end of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to over 300,000 for the first time in August last year.

As of February, the total number of foreign nationals staying in South Korea stood at 2.71 million, up 4.4 per cent from a year earlier, while the number of foreign students rose at a faster pace of 15 per cent over the same period.

In particular, the number of students entering the country to attend universities increased 22.2 per cent on-year to 238,905 from 195,450.

By nationality, Vietnamese students accounted for the largest share at 115,131, followed by Chinese students at 78,529, Uzbek students at 20,609 and Mongolian students at 18,992.

Meanwhile, government data earlier this month showed that the number of foreign nationals residing in South Korea approached 1.7 million as of May last year.

The total number came to 1.69 million as of last May, up 8.4 per cent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The figure refers to foreigners aged 15 and older who have resided in the country for more than 91 days.

By category, overseas Koreans with foreign nationalities accounted for the largest share, at 24.2 per cent, followed by non-professional employment visa holders, at 19 per cent, the data showed. International students accounted for 14 per cent, and permanent residents accounted for 9.6 per cent.

Among foreign nationals, ethnic Koreans with Chinese nationality accounted for 29.9 per cent of the total, followed by those from Vietnam with 16 per cent, the data showed.

The data also showed that 65.5 per cent of foreign nationals had jobs as of May.

Among those employed, 10.8 per cent of foreign workers said they were seeking new jobs, with most citing low income as the main reason.

About 32 per cent of foreign nationals reported earning a monthly income between 2 million won (US$1,362) and 3 million won, the data showed.

The data also showed 12.9 per cent of foreigners said they experienced financial difficulties over the past year.

- IANS