7 in 10 foreign students in South Korea eager to stay on: Survey

SEOUL - Seven out of 10 international students in South Korea want to work and settle in the country, a new survey showed on July 1, as Korean companies step up efforts to recruit foreign talent.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) said 71 per cent of international students surveyed in its recent Global Talent Fair expressed interest in working and living in Korea.

Among them, 42 per cent cited a desire to gain work experience, while 29 per cent said they hope to settle in the country long-term.

The survey polled 356 foreign students and 88 participating companies at the job fair held on May 19 to 20 in Seoul. The two-day event attracted 2,869 students studying in Korea and 102 companies that want to hire them.

Of the student respondents, 49.4 per cent were enrolled in a master’s programme, followed by 30.6 per cent in undergraduate studies and 9.6 per cent pursuing doctoral degrees.

The survey did not disclose the students’ nationalities.

Kotra said 26 per cent of respondents had a background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem), which is higher than the national average of 15 per cent majoring in Stem fields among the 208,962 foreign students currently in Korea.

When asked about preferred job roles, 34 per cent said they want a position in research and development, followed by 31 per cent in office administration, 27 per cent in sales and 8 per cent in manufacturing.

South Korean companies have also expressed growing interest in hiring international students.

Of the companies surveyed, 65 per cent said they had previously hired international students through the job fair.

The biggest motivation for companies hiring international students was to support overseas market development at 42 per cent, followed by increasing workforce diversity at 21 per cent.

In terms of job roles, companies were most interested in hiring sales positions, at 49 per cent, followed by R&D at 31 per cent and administrative roles at 19 per cent.

Companies indicated a strong preference for bachelor’s degree holders at 83 per cent, compared with 15 per cent looking to hire candidates with master’s degrees.

Amid growing interest, Kotra said it plans to hold a series of regional job events in September, targeting foreign students in Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province.

“A considerable number of foreign students want to work at Korean companies, especially in R&D and administrative positions,” said Mr Kang Sang-yeob, Kotra’s executive vice-president and head of the small and medium-sized enterprise office.

“We will continue to expand foreign talent recruitment programs tailored to corporate needs to help strengthen the global competitiveness of Korean companies.”

South Korea’s largest conglomerates are also stepping up efforts to hire international students and professionals.

Since 2023, Samsung Group has been hiring foreign students in R&D, expanding such recruitment to nine affiliates in 2025, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Samsung Biologics.

Hyundai Motor Group launched an employment-linked internship programme in 2024 for international students graduating from Korean universities.

In April, Hyundai posted openings for five-week internships in R&D, manufacturing, business and planning roles. High-performing interns will be offered permanent positions.

Lotte Group also launched a similar employment-linked internship program in 2024. In 2025, the retail giant is hiring international students across five affiliates, with full-time roles available to those who perform well. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK