The government on Monday announced a revised target to attract 200,000 foreign students by 2020 as part of efforts to boost the country's competitiveness in higher education.

The new target comes alongside the government's push to globalize local universities, which drew 89,537 overseas students last year.

The government has revised its target upwards every four years since 2004, when it aimed to attract 50,000 foreign students by 2010. In 2008, it aimed to draw 100,000 such students by the end of this year.

During a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, the government also agreed to work toward promoting international exchanges between students and colleges.

The government said it also discussed opening a global university in the country to attract Korean high school graduates from overseas for admission in September. The academic year starts in March in Korea. (Yonhap)