North Gyeongsang expands support for international students with internships, language courses

North Gyeongsang announced Tuesday that it is working with local universities to offer internships and Korean language courses to international students in the province.

Visitors fill in their résumé at a job fair for international students hosted by North Gyeongsang in August. The province announced on Tuesday that it will work with local universities to offer internships and Korean learning programs for international students. [NEWS1]

North Gyeongsang announced Tuesday that it is working with local universities to offer internships and Korean language courses to international students in the province.

The province is collaborating with Gumi University and the Gyeongbuk Gyeongsan Institute of Industry-University Convergence (GGIC) consortium — which includes Daegu University and Daegu Catholic University — and has created a for-credit internship course for international students starting this fall semester.

Students enrolled in the course can earn up to 18 credits during the semester while participating in internships at companies based in Daegu and North Gyeongsang.

The opportunity is available to 15 students through Gumi University and 30 through the GGIC consortium each semester.

The hiring companies will pay only part of the interns' salaries, with the remaining amount covered by North Gyeongsang to incentivize more local companies to offer internships.

North Gyeongsang is also working with Kyungwoon University, Catholic Sangji College and Yeungnam University to offer elective courses that help international students learn about the history and culture of the province.

The course will require students to go on various field trips, exploring historically significant locations in North Gyeongsang.

The three universities have also created a course that teaches Korean.

Although other Korean courses offer basic language education, this course will teach students business Korean. It also aims to impart the business etiquette required in Korean companies.

The two courses are each open to 30 students per semester, offering two or three credits depending on the university.

The new programs follow the province's establishment of the K-Dream Task Force Committee in February. The group aims to help more international students come to study in North Gyeongsang and settle down, and it announced it will focus on offering career and settlement support.

"This will be an important starting point to attract more international students, who are a key target group for North Gyeongsang's immigration policy and encourage them to settle down in the province," said North Gyeongsang Gov. Lee Cheol-woo. "We will continue to introduce such programs so international students can associate North Gyeongsang as a place where they can both study and find a job."

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