By Kim Bo-eun
The first fair promoting study programs in Korea took place in Mexico City beginning Saturday for a two-day run.
The National Institute for International Education (NIIE) hosted the fair, with the participation of six Korean universities _ Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Sogang, Sungkyunkwan, Ajou, Pusan and Chonnam national universities.
University officials met with representatives of Mexican universities to discuss student and faculty exchange programs.
Last year, Mexico sent the largest number of students to Korea among countries in South and Central America.
It sent 288 students to Korea in 2016, up from 31 in 2007.
As of 2016, Korea had 23 undergraduate students, 35 master’s students and 10 doctoral students from Mexico. The largest number of these students are pursuing degrees in the humanities and social sciences.
There is a high level of interest in Korea in Mexico due to the influence of Hallyu _ K-POP and Korean TV shows.
Over 2,000 students in Mexico visited the fair.
“I hope that the educational exchanges between the two countries will increase based on Mexico’s hosting of the study-in-Korea fair,” NIIE President Song Ki-dong said.
The NIIE is aiming to attract 200,000 students from South and Central America to Korea by 2023.
This year, the education ministry and the NIIE have promoted study programs in Korea in 14 cities in 11 countries so far.
The countries are Senegal, Mongolia, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Russia, Mexico, Spain and Vietnam. Fairs are also set to be held in Spain and Vietnam this year.
The number of foreign students in Korea stood at 104,262 in 2016, more than double the 49,270 from a decade earlier in 2007.