Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
INTERVIEW North Chungcheong Province offers jobs, tuition relief to attract 10,000 international students
North Chungcheong Province Gov. Kim Young-hwan speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the provincial office in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, July 9. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Jung Da-hyun
Governor vows to attract more high-tech companies
North Chungcheong Province has unveiled a new comprehensive package of policies for international students, including offering stable jobs and lowering tuition fees, to address the region's growing demographic challenges, according to the province's top policymaker.
"Unlike other systems, our program is designed to eliminate the burden of tuition and provide opportunities for students to gain skills and experience, enabling them to start a business or secure a job, even back home," North Chungcheong Province Gov. Kim Young-hwan said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
He highlighted the unique features of the province's international student policy.
"It allows international students to simultaneously study and work by offering stable employment through connections with local companies," he said.
Following efforts to attract international students, their numbers in the province rose to 5,353 as of April 30 this year, a 31 percent increase from 4,066 the previous year.
"We expect international students to play a key role in addressing local population decline by securing jobs at regional companies after graduation and settling down here," Kim said.
North Chungcheong Province Gov. Kim Young-hwan, front row sixth from right, poses with new students enrolled at the Institute of Korean Language at Chungbuk Provincial College in North Chungcheong Province, July 17. Courtesy of North Chungcheong Provincial Office
The province currently faces a crisis of regional extinction due to a severe population shortage affecting factories, rural areas, laboratories, traditional markets and universities, exacerbated by an aging population and low birth rates.
Kim emphasized the province's goal is to attract 10,000 international students this year to solve these challenges.
He also highlighted that North Chungcheong Province is ideally suited for these policies due to its diverse job opportunities in agriculture, service and high-tech industries.
"Unlike large metropolitan areas like Seoul and Busan, our province has rural areas capable of accommodating laborers, particularly in agriculture," he said.
He added that, unlike other rural regions focused solely on agriculture, the province boasts a conducive environment for employment across various sectors, including high-tech industries.
The province's industrial structure is also favorable, with over 50 percent of its economy rooted in mining and manufacturing and 40 percent in service industries. This provides a significant advantage for international students, who can transition their student visas to employment in fields related to their university majors.
North Chungcheong Province Gov. Kim Young-hwan gives a speech during specialized education in trade for foreigners, May 10. Courtesy of North Chungcheong Provincial Office
However, visa issuance remains a significant hurdle for the initiative.
"Many international students enter with existing debt, increasing the likelihood of illegal work and departure to settle debts and cover living expenses," Kim explained.
While local governments are developing policies to attract international students, the Ministry of Justice still mandates substantial financial requirements for visa issuance. This poses a significant economic burden, particularly for students from underdeveloped Asian countries.
"I believe we can prevent illegal stays only if international students can study abroad without undue financial strain," he said.
He stressed the importance of support from local governments, corporate scholarship programs and university research funds to alleviate this burden.
Kim also noted that the province is proposing improvements to the justice ministry, including exempting outstanding international students recommended by the province from financial capacity screenings during visa issuance.
International students participate in orientation at Seowon University in North Chungcheong Province, March 21. Courtesy of North Chungcheong Provincial Office
Despite these challenges, he highlighted the rapid increase in the number of foreign residents in North Chungcheong Province. Eumseong and Jincheon counties, in particular, have the highest percentage of foreign nationals.
The proportion of foreign residents in the province rose from 12.8 percent in 2022 to 15.2 percent in 2023. As of May this year, foreigners comprised 18 percent of Eumseong's population and 13 percent of Jincheon's.
"This shows that our living conditions and job opportunities are attractive to foreigners," Kim said.
"As more foreigners settle here, we anticipate further improvements in settlement conditions, social integration and public awareness."
He emphasized that while attracting foreigners is crucial, long-term settlement requires robust self-reliance and social integration policies.
"Communication, employment and visa-related support are the most challenging areas for foreigners and require targeted support projects," he said.
In response, the province has launched new initiatives this year to improve foreign resident's settlement conditions, employment opportunities and social integration. These include Korean language education, multilingual counseling services and job fairs to provide employment information.
Furthermore, the province established a dedicated policy promotion team focused on foreign resident issues, which began operations in July.
"Addressing the population crisis requires effective policies for foreign residents. North Chungcheong Province will continue to attract skilled foreign workers and develop new policies to support their settlement in the region," Kim said.
Who is Kim Young-hwan?
Kim has been serving as the governor of North Chungcheong Province since 2022.
Born in Goesan County in the province, Kim pursued dentistry at Yonsei University before embarking on his political career in 1995. He first entered the political arena by successfully running in Gyeonggi Province's Ansan-A constituency during the general elections for the 15th National Assembly.
Following his reelection in 2000, he assumed the role of minister of science and technology, which is now the Ministry of Science and ICT, from 2001 to 2002 during Kim Dae-jung's presidency.