Graduates of Foreign High Schools Can Enter Local Universities
By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter
The government plans to allow graduates of foreign high schools in the country to enter local universities and provide tax cuts and other incentives to international educational institutions that establish schools here to encourage Korean students to stay here rather than go overseas for their education.
It will also make it cheaper for golfers to play here and encourage them to spend money here rather than overseas, while organizing new tour programs to attract more local and foreign tourists as part of effort to strengthen the competitiveness of the education and other service industries and improve the service account balance.
In a report to President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae Monday, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said that students enrolled at foreign schools operating in the country will be admitted into local universities as long as they teach Korean, Korean history and certain subjects. Currently, graduates of foreign schools are not allowed to enter universities here.
Ministry official Yook Dong-han said students of 44 foreign schools will benefit from the measures next year.
He also said the government will provide tax cuts and other incentives to international educational institutions that establish branch schools here. ``Qualified overseas institutions open schools in the country and take home earnings generated for services provided,'' he said.
The government also plans to increase the portion of Korean students to 30 percent from the current 10 percent in international schools in Songdo and other areas to keep more students here as a growing number of parents are sending children to the United States, Canada, China and other foreign countries for education, spending billions of dollars.
The ministry will also allow local private school foundations to set up and operate international schools, while taking measures to secure more foreign English teachers at public elementary and secondary schools to improve the quality of English education.
In addition, the government will scrap excise and other taxes levied on green fees at golf courses in provincial areas, amounting to 21,000 won, and a 3,000 won National Sports Promotion Fund, the ministry said.
It also plans to lower acquisition and registration tax rates to 2 percent from the current 10 percent to help build more golf courses across the country. A ministry official said it will decide later whether to extend the tax cuts to golf courses in Seoul and its adjacent areas.
``The tax cuts are expected to reduce the burden of country clubs by 270 billion won, which translates into lower fees for golfers," Yook said.
The government will also organize a tour program allowing Koreans and foreigners to see wildlife near the demilitarized zone. To attract more foreign tourists, the government will also launch global campaign ``Korea Grand Sale'' next year to promote the country as an international shopping center, like Hong Kong.
It plans to operate cruise ships along Korea's scenic southern coast and develop a large-scale theme park and other leisure facilities in the area to draw both local and international tourists.
The government will also install electronic tourism information booths at tourist spots to help international travelers, while improving tourism signs in English and other foreign languages across the country.
To attract more non-Korean patients and hone local medical industry competitiveness, the government plans to make it easier for foreigners who want to receive medical treatment here to attain visas and enter the country.
It will also relax rules on hospitals to prompt mergers and acquisitions to help them become bigger and more competitive. Hospitals will be encouraged to advance into other medical fields.
The government will provide financial and other support to upgrade medical, law and other knowledge-based service sectors and turn them into future growth engines