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.
7 in 10 int'l students in Korea work in low-skilled service jobs: report
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By Jung Da-hyun
About 7 in 10 international students in Korea who work part time are concentrated in low-skilled service positions such as restaurants and hospitality jobs, with only a marginal share employed in roles related to their field of study.
According to a study on the socioeconomic impact of the inflow of international students in Korea released by the Migration Research and Training Center on Monday, 71.1 percent of student workers were employed in the food and accommodation sector. The share climbed to 81.6 percent among undergraduates aged 19 to 24.
The results also showed regional disparities. The share of international students working in food and accommodation jobs exceeded 80 percent in areas including Gwangju, Incheon, Busan and South Chungcheong and Gyeonggi provinces.
This pattern appears to be driven by the factors that international students prioritize when choosing part-time work.
Only 2.4 percent said they consider alignment with their field of study or desired career path as a key factor. Instead, the most important consideration was working hours compatible with their studies, cited by 54.4 percent, followed by wages at 24.8 percent.
This suggests that such employment is not functioning as a stepping stone for building experience relevant to students’ future careers.
The study also found that 41.9 percent of international student workers were employed without formally reporting their jobs to authorities, relying instead on verbal agreements — underscoring the prevalence of informal, or “shadow,” labor practices.
A key driver of such informal employment is financial disincentives.
Under current rules, international students lose a 50 percent reduction in national health insurance premiums if their annual income exceeds 3.6 million won ($2,440). To avoid crossing that threshold, both employers and students often opt for off-the-books arrangements, including cash payments.
As a result, many students are reluctant to report labor violations, including unpaid wages and unfair treatment.
This indicates that international students are often regarded as cost-effective labor, with limited resistance even at minimum wage levels, and that their part-time work has shifted beyond a temporary role to become a structural underpinning of the domestic service industry.
International students cited language barriers, discrimination and the physical demands of manual labor as major challenges in part-time work.
Their job searches largely relied on personal networks, online platforms and international student communities.
To address these issues, the study called for the introduction of a formalized part-time employment management system to bring such work into the legal framework.
The study also urged regulatory reforms, including the introduction of an annual reporting system for qualified students — such as those with at least Level 4 on the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) or strong academic performance — along with adjustments to the health insurance threshold and the removal of workplace distance restrictions.