Push to make Seoul a city worth moving to ― and staying in

Cho Dong‑sung, professor emeritus at Seoul National University and chairman of the Industrial Policy Research Institute, speaks during the "Global Talent Strategy Forum: Seoul, Your Next Chapter" at City Hall in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul is widely recognized as a popular destination for international students, yet experts contend the capital city is falling short on a core economic metric: the retention of high-skilled workers. This emerging gap threatens future productivity and global competitiveness.

Speaking at the “Global Talent Strategy Forum: Seoul, Your Next Chapter” on Wednesday, scholars and industry executives cautioned that, without bold migration policies and corporate reforms, Seoul could remain little more than a training ground for competing global hubs. They called on officials to pursue policies that both draw foreign talent and keep it in the city.

The event, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, was held to evaluate the city’s position in the global competition for talent and discuss ways to improve it. It came months after U.K. higher‑education agency QS named Seoul the world’s best city for overseas study, a ranking built on its safe environment and affordability, among many other factors.

Speakers at the forum said that while those strengths have made Seoul a magnet for students and short‑term professionals, they have not yet translated into a reputation as a place to build a long‑term life and career. In a rapidly shifting global market where cities compete for people, that gap now constitutes a strategic vulnerability, they added.

“The most critical factor in 21st-century urban competitiveness is no longer industrial scale or infrastructure level, but rather the ability to attract and retain global talent,” said Cho Dong‑sung, professor emeritus at Seoul National University and chairman of the Industrial Policy Research Institute.

The professor outlined a set of strategies for Seoul to develop as an international talent hub, from sharply lowering settlement costs and regulatory hurdles for foreign professionals to expanding English‑language public services and turning universities into global gateways that link campuses, companies and the wider city.

QS Asia-Pacific Executive Director Jeroen Prinsen presented data showing that East Asia — and Korea in particular — has emerged as a major beneficiary of shifting international student flows, with foreign enrollment in Korean institutions of higher education more than doubling over the past decade. He added that by 2030, Korea could surpass Japan as the region’s second-largest destination for international students, underscoring the scale of Seoul’s opportunity and the role universities can play in seizing it.

“Are they looking to stay and work in the country that they’re studying in or are they taking their skills and going home?” Prinsen said. “I think this is where local governments can drive improvement.”

Yoon Dong‑yeol, business professor at Konkuk University, agreed. The scholar said he is concerned that Seoul and Korea as a whole may be falling behind in the global competition for talent.

He said many firms still rely on human resources systems built for domestic workers, with Korean‑only job postings, vertical hierarchies and opaque career paths that make it difficult for foreigners to envision a future here.

Those on the front lines offered similar warnings.

Human resource officials and start-up leaders cited protracted and uncertain visa reviews, along with shifting regulations, that routinely derail recruitment efforts, saying it is common to spend months courting foreign candidates only to see them fall through at the visa stage.

City officials said the forum would serve as a springboard for more concrete policy moves. The city government said Seoul aims to be more than just a place to live, describing the city as a platform where foreign students and professionals can realize their ambitions and drive innovation.

“We will work to ensure that the discussions from this forum are reflected in policies, so that, through the attraction of global talent and support for their settlement, foreigners can enjoy a stable environment in which to put down roots,” said Lim Jai-geun, director of the city government’s immigration division.