South Korea foreign student numbers exceed 500,000

The number of foreign students and trainees entering South Korea surpassed 500,000 for the first time last year, according to data from the Korea Tourism Organization. This figure represents a more than sixfold increase from 2021, when the number stood at just 80,084 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the approximately 18.94 million foreign visitors to the country last year, 505,410 entered for study or training purposes, accounting for 2.7 percent of all arrivals. The majority of visitors (83.5 percent) traveled for tourism.

Representative Jin Sun-mee attributed the surge to the global popularity of K-pop and K-dramas, noting that the spread of Korean cultural content is driving interest in Korean language studies and formal degree programs. Approximately 46.3 percent of these international arrivals were in the 20–30 age demographic. Jin has called for tailored policy support to assist these students in adapting to local communities.