CONTRIBUTION Influence of K-culture in attracting international students
Over the past two decades, the global rise of K-culture, spanning K-pop, drama, film, fashion and digital media has reshaped not only entertainment industries but also the geography of learning itself.
Shin Hae-rin, an associate professor of School of Media and Communication at Korea University
Korea's cultural appeal now serves as a compelling gateway to higher education, drawing international students who arrive to earn degrees, but also immerse themselves in the ecosystem that nurtured their favorite artists, stories and digital innovations.
This educational current reflects a crucial shift, from "brand Korea" to "learn Korea." The storytelling sensibilities that constitute the core appeal of Korean dramas, such as emotional authenticity, collective resilience and global-local hybridity, are also critical components in Korea’s educational landscape. For international students, Seoul has transformed from an exotic destination into an immersive classroom, where learners wield agency to creatively constellate media industries, technological innovation and entrepreneurial energy.
Within Korea University's halls, this metamorphosis reveals itself through the very dreams that our students bring to their academic endeavors. From those who are drawn the sociology and media ethics visible in the class architecture of "Parasite" and the moral labyrinths of "Squid Game," to others eager to decode how artificial intelligence (AI) might reimagine beauty itself across myriad continents and cultural communities, Korea University has embraced those who thrive on the richness of diverse perspectives.
This cultural magnetism also comes with attendant responsibilities. As an educational institution, the university is moving beyond passive attraction to actively seek cultural dialogue. International student enrollment has quadrupled since 2005, with over 60 percent now citing Korean culture as their primary motivation. In response, the university has developed a range of curricula in intercultural communication, digital humanities and ethical AI that equips students to critically interpret rather than merely consume Korean cultural phenomena.
Tripartite collaborations among academia, creative industries and governmental bodies can transform global fascination with Korean culture into substantive innovation that transcends commercial theater. Cultural resonance ultimately springs not from melody or plot alone, but from what might be termed as its affective pedagogy — the capacity to forge connection across cultural chasms.
Higher education has something far richer than enrollment strategies here: an epistemological model where cultural fluency and intellectual discipline jointly foster planetary, civic consciousness. As the QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific gathers at Korea University, we inhabit a transformative threshold where sonic architectures, cinematic grammars and computational poetics converge into new vernaculars of global understanding.
Shin Hae-rin is an associate professor of School of Media and Communication at Korea University.