Busan looks to attract 30,000 international students by 2028

Busan is the city with the largest international student population outside of greater Seoul and various support programs for students have been helping the city retain its title.

Students talk to hiring managers at the Job Fair for International Students in Busan held in July last year. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Busan is the city with the largest international student population outside of greater Seoul and various support programs for students have been helping the city retain its title.

Busan announced on Monday that it plans to focus on inviting more people in their 20s and 30s to live in the city while also attracting more foreigners.

The city had 13,000 international students as of 2023. However, plans announced Monday have more ambitious goals, aiming to have 30,000 international students by 2028.

"Busan's future depends on the younger generation, and we hope new policies will help Busan become a young and vibrant city," said Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon.

More support measures that will help it achieve its goals will be announced in the future, but local organizations have already been offering many opportunities for international students.

The Busan Global City Foundation is a prominent example.

The foundation annually arranges internships for international students who are attending or have graduated from universities in Busan.

Around 15 students are given the opportunity every year, being able to intern for around a month at Busan-based companies during the summer vacation. Applications start in late May.

Students who were offered internship opportunities through the Busan Global City Foundation last year. BUSAN GLOBAL CITY FOUNDATION]

Scholarships are another benefit offered by the foundation.

Around 15 international students are selected every year, with applications opening around mid-March. Each student is offered 2 million won ($1,530) during the one-year scholarship period.

Applicants have to be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a university in Busan and have Topik level 4 or above.

Although both the internship and scholarship are only offered to a handful of students, the foundation's career preparation course is a program that's open to more people.

Online courses open around November every year, with around 150 students able to listen to the lectures. The course covers basics such as how to write a résumé, job interview preparations and also suggests programs and internships the students can participate in to develop their careers.

Job fairs are also another event for international students who want to live and work in Busan.

The city hosted the Job Fair for International Students in Busan twice last year in July and November, with attendees sitting in on-site job interviews and career counseling sessions.

Getting a proper work visa is one of the concerns that foreign job-seekers have and the fair took away such stress by only inviting companies that sponsor the F-2-R visa to employees for the July job fair. A total of 16 companies attended, all offering the F-2-R visa.

The F-2-R visa allows foreigners to reside in Korea for five years and is issued to people who get employed by companies based in areas with a decreasing population.

Busan's Seo District, Dong District or Yeongdo District are designated as regions that can issue the F-2-R, and they are each given a visa quota of 40 this year.

Although the November job fair was open for companies based in regions outside of the three designated districts, they also offered regular work visa sponsorships.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]