Nearly a dozen Korean high schools invite Vietnamese students

Nine high schools in South Korea have exempted tuition fees to attract foreign students, with most of the quota reserved for Vietnam.

Faced with a declining youth population, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province is inviting foreign students to train potential future residents.

Specifically, the province will select 72 young people from six Asian countries to enroll in 2024, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Cambodia and China.

According to Kim Mi-jeong, program director at the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education , foreign students are exempt from tuition fees, similar to Korean students. They only need to pay living expenses.

The nine schools participating in the program are mostly vocational schools that allow boarding. Students must submit their middle school transcripts and achieve TOPIK 2 (a six-level Korean proficiency test) or higher.

Four of the nine schools have completed their enrollment. A total of 32 students from Thailand, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia have been accepted.

The application deadline for the remaining five schools is September 8. Of the 40 spots, Silla Technical High School in Gyeongju will accept 12 Vietnamese students; Gyeongju Business High School, Gyeongju Girls' High School and Myeongin High School in Seongju plan to accept a total of 24 Vietnamese students.

Selected students are eligible to apply for D-4-3 visas, which allow them to stay in Korea for one year. They will have to renew them annually to continue their studies and graduate. Relevant agencies are discussing granting working visas to graduates of the program, which will help them settle in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

The program will continue next year, provincial officials said, but the list of schools and enrollment targets may change.

Students at a high school in South Korea. Photo: Yonhap news — Students at a high school in South Korea. Photo: *Yonhap news*

In a recent meeting with principals, Lim Jong-shik, the province’s education director, expressed his support for continuing the program, saying it would be a valuable program that would help the province connect with outstanding and talented foreign students.

“We will support students and programs to create great job opportunities in the community,” said Mr. Lim.

The number of school-age children in South Korea has dropped sharply in recent years, while universities are struggling with a lack of students. The falling birth rate has led to a labor shortage and a brain drain, especially in engineering and high-tech fields.

Therefore, Korea wants to attract foreign students to make up for the shortage. On August 16, the Korean Ministry of Education said it would lower residency requirements and increase the number of part-time hours for international students with the aim of attracting 300,000 international students between now and 2027.

Khanh Linh (According to The Korea Herald)

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