Jeonbuk National University joins K-STAR visa track, enabling longer stays for regional foreign talent

Jeonbuk National University President Yang O-bong, left, poses with Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho after the university's inclusion in the government's new K-STAR visa track at the ministry office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 5. Courtesy of Jeonbuk National University

Jeonbuk National University has been selected to join the government’s new K-STAR visa track, a program designed to help top foreign experts in science and technology build long-term careers and settle in Korea.

The Ministry of Justice’s K-STAR visa track offers a state-supported pathway from study to research, employment and permanent residency, enabling high-caliber STEM talent stay in the country. The program — once limited to five state-run science and technology institutes, including KAIST — has expanded the permanent residency and fast-track naturalization benefits to general universities.

With the designation, Jeonbuk National University President Yang O-bong can now directly recommend eligible foreign students for the program.

Recommended candidates will receive major incentives, including immediate eligibility for an F-2 residency visa upon graduation without needing a job offer, the option to apply for an F-5 permanent residency visa after three years and the possibility of special naturalization regardless of their length of stay if they demonstrate exceptional research achievements.

The university noted that the program will help international master’s and doctoral researchers establish long-term roots and support the creation of a global talent pipeline tied to regional industry fields such as materials convergence, agricultural bioindustries and future mobility.

Additionally, the university plans to establish a dedicated K-STAR support platform led by its international affairs office and, in coordination with graduate school units, build an integrated system offering living assistance, research support and local settlement programs for foreign talent.

“This recognition shows that Jeonbuk National University is a place where top global talent can build stable lives and conduct research,” Yang said. “We will develop a full-cycle model — from study and research to employment and settlement — to help the university grow into a research institution watched on the world stage.”