Foreign students in South Korea surpass 500,000 amid K-culture boom

A total of 505,410 foreign visitors entered South Korea for study or training purposes in 2025, accounting for 2.7% of the 18.94 million foreign arrivals recorded during the year, according to data from the Korea Tourism Organization released by Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Sun-mee.

The figure has risen steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic, when only 80,084 foreigners arrived for study or training in 2021. It increased to 152,195 in 2022, 313,980 in 2023 and 435,129 in 2024 before surpassing the 500,000 mark last year.

Tourism remained by far the main reason for visiting South Korea, with 15.82 million foreigners, or more than 83% of all arrivals, traveling for tourism in 2025. Business and official duties accounted for 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively.

Jin, a member of the National Assembly's culture and tourism committee, said the increase in foreign students and trainees was being driven in part by growing interest in learning Korean and pursuing degree programs in the country.

"The global spread of K-content is now bearing fruit not only in short-term tourism but also in long-term stays, such as study and training," Jin said in a statement.

She urged the government to introduce tailored support measures to help foreign students and trainees adapt to local communities and maintain the growth in international education.

Earlier, Qazinform reported South Korea’s employment growth hit a five-month high in August.