Jeju expands job opportunities to bring overseas Korean youth into local workforce
The Overseas Koreans Welcome Center in Songdo, Yeonsu District, Incheon / Korea Times file
As provincial communities grapple with demographic shifts and labor shortages, island authorities and national agencies are forging a new pathway to revitalization.
The Overseas Koreans Agency announced a strategic partnership with Cheju Halla University to attract young ethnic Koreans from abroad, offering specialized education, professional training and long-term employment directly on the resort island.
The initiative comes at a critical juncture for Jeju, which has suffered a sharp demographic turnaround after more than a decade of uninterrupted growth. Recent government data reveals a deepening net population loss driven primarily by an exodus of residents in their 20s searching for broader career and educational prospects in metropolitan Seoul. At the same time, regional economic pillars such as tourism, hospitality and health care face compounding labor deficits.
The agreement, finalized earlier this month, establishes a collaborative framework designed to channel overseas Korean youth into these key sectors. Under the pact, the university will expand vocational programs tailored to island industries, while the Overseas Koreans Agency will spearhead international recruitment and community integration. Students will transition from targeted classrooms into hands-on internships and local employment, effectively anchoring international talent within the island's workforce.
Before signing the pact, Overseas Koreans Agency Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup held a roundtable with local overseas Koreans and community representatives. Attendees highlighted daily obstacles in education, job placement and health care access, calling on policymakers to streamline administrative support for regional resettlement.
“The settlement of overseas Korean youth in domestic regions can inject a vital new spark into local communities,” Kim said following the meeting. “Through expanded cooperation with regional universities and enterprises, we will connect young people with meaningful opportunities while supplying local industries with the talent they desperately need.”
By tapping into the global diaspora, authorities said they hope to stem regional depopulation while transforming the island into a welcoming hub for global Korean talent looking to plant roots.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.