By Lee Hyo-sik
The number of Korean elementary and secondary school students studying overseas declined by nearly 10,000 in 2009 from a year earlier, falling for the third consecutive year, according to a report published by the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), Wednesday.
Korean elementary, middle, and high school students studying in the U.S. and other foreign countries reached 18,118 in 2009, down 33.7 percent, or 9,231, from 27,349 in 2008. It marks the largest decrease since the institute began compiling data.
The figure had increased by large margins from 2000 to 2006 until it peaked at 29,511. Since 2006, the number of young Koreans studying at schools in foreign countries has dropped. By level, the number of elementary school students fell by 4,162, followed by middle school students at 3,165 and high school students at 1,904.
In particular, Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province saw the number of young students going overseas for education decline the most.
From Seoul, 6,478 elementary and secondary school students headed overseas to study in 2009, down 31.5 percent from 9,462 the previous year, with the corresponding figures for Gyeonggi Province and Incheon falling 38.9 percent to 5,953 and 40 percent to 854, respectively.
“The number of young students going to foreign schools dropped in 2009 across the country as more parents faced financial hardships amid the sluggish business conditions. But it remains to be seen whether the trend will continue or not. If the economy recovers in the coming years, the number may start to rise again,” a KEDI researcher said.