I’d like to help realize the dreams of future generations through providing international education
President Ryoo Hyea-sook of the National Institute for International Education

The National Institute for International Education, which has been responsible for nurturing global talents, and promoting international exchange and cooperation for the past 60 years, is becoming increasingly prominent in the era of the Korean Wave. We talked to President Ryoo Hyea-sook about her desire to further raise the status of Korean education through the Global Korea Scholarship Program, the Test of Proficiency in Korean, “Study in Korea” Education Fair, etc.

Greetings Ms. President! Could you please tell us more about the National Institute for International Education?

The National Institute for International Education is a national administrative agency under the Ministry of Education. For 60 years since its establishment in 1962, it has been responsible for nurturing global talents and serving as a representative organization for international educational exchange and cooperation. One of our main projects is the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Program, an international scholarship program that selects outstanding overseas talent and supports them to complete degree courses in Korean universities and graduate schools. We support students around the world to study in Korea through online/offline education fairs. In addition, with the increasing global interest in Korean language learning, mainly due to the spread of K-culture, etc., the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) ‒ which is required for foreigners to study, get a job, and acquire residency-status in Korea ‒ is offered in about 90 countries around the world. Moreover, we enhance mutual understanding between students and teachers of different countries through Korea-China and Korea-Japan exchanges, etc.. It is also our main task to disseminate the excellence of K-Education by dispatching Korean teachers to local educational institutes in developing countries to support the improvement of basic education in ODA (Official Development Assistance) recipient countries.
In addition to these, projects we carry out various projects related to international education, including WEST (Work, English Study, Travel), Study Abroad Scholarship Program, selection and placement of native-speaking assistant teachers for EPIK (English Program in Korea) and CPIK (Chinese Program in Korea) in elementary and middle schools, operation of the English Education Center within Jeju Global Education City, and Critical Foreign Languages Education Promotion.

Following the cultural Korean Wave, international exchanges in the education sector have recently become more active. Please tell us what efforts the National Institute for International Education is making in this regard.

As you said, due to the influence of the Korean Wave in education, our roles grew bigger, and we are having a busier year than ever. First of all, we are actively having education fairs both online and offline to encourage foreign students to study in Korea. In the region-specific online fair first held in cooperation with local governments and universities in June, over 410,000 persons from 122 countries visited. As the Coronavirus became an endemic, we constantly held offline education fairs in cooperation with overseas embassies and Korean educational institutes. In the future, we plan to expand the fairs in new regions such as the Indo-Pacific, ASEAN, and the Americas and Europe ‒ considering the population distribution and potential demand for study in Korea.
The Test of Proficiency in Korean (hereinafter referred to as TOPIK) cannot be left out. We have introduced the Internet-based test for all areas of TOPIK with the goal of reaching “One million applicants from 100 countries.” Through digital transition of TOPIK, we plan to build a system that people can take the test at their convenience, anytime, anywhere. We have also made efforts to secure ways to utilize TOPIK. As a result of our efforts, TOPIK scores will officially be used in the evaluation of Korean as a second language subject to the university entrance examination, starting in 2025. Currently, the states of Maryland and Georgia are using TOPIK as Korean language certification test for the Seal of Biliteracy, and we are awaiting a positive response from the California Department of Education.
In addition, the GKS program that supports talented individuals from around the world, is expanding the number of newly selected scholarship recipients every year, after selecting 1,334 new students in 2023 ‒ and planning to select more than 2,000 next year. To help these students adapt to life in Korea, we operate counseling and mentoring programs so that they can cooperate in exchanges with Korea as a friend and expert of Korea after completing their studies.
Finally, for dispatching teachers overseas, about 50 people are carrying out educational activities in remote areas of 11 countries this year. I believe this project, in which Korea’s active, retired, and prospective teachers are dispatched to developing countries, can lead the Korean Wave trend to our national benefit by disseminating the excellence of Korean education, while motivating local students to study in, or move to, Korea.

I recently heard that leaders of overseas universities were eager to have exchanges with Korean universities at the recently held NAFSA (Association of International Educators) Conference. What position do you think of the status held by studying in Korea on the international stage?

Thanks to the popularity of the Korean Wave and the efforts of the governments and domestic universities, the number of international students in Korea is continuously increasing. The number of international students in 2023 was 180,000, which is more than double that of 10 years ago. Since 2022, the number of students coming to study in Korea (166,892) exceeded the number of Korean students leaving to study abroad (124,320). Studying in Korea is especially popular in Asia, as it is geographically closer and there are linguistic and cultural similarities, and it is easier for students in Asian countries to learn the language and adapt to life in Korea.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education announced in August the “Study Korea 300K Project,” a plan to improve the educational competitiveness of international students. In line with this, we are constantly striving to become a global educational leader by building a foundation that will lead to attracting international students, and assisting with their their study and employment, and adapting to life in Korea.

Attracting talented international students is becoming increasingly important. In order to achieve this goal, what does the National Institute for International Education pay the most attention to?

To ensure students' accessibility to information about studying in Korea, we plan to increase the size and number of education fairs by cooperating with more Korean education institutions located overseas. Currently, we are operating a program. “Study In Korea Supporters,” consisting of actual international students, making efforts in various ways to increase interest and participation of international students by producing promotional contents for studying in Korea, and providing real-time counseling and information for study abroad.
Attracting a lot of international students is important, but I think it is also essential that these students use the knowledge they learned back in their home country, or to settle down in Korea. That is why we hold a job fair every year for international students, jointly with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and provide special lectures on visas and documents, which are vital pieces of information that international students need the most for employment. We also share recruitment information and employment support information through K-employment page within “Study in Korea” System.
In the future, we plan to continue to expand employment support for international students by cooperating with more diverse organizations, including the Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE).

Please tell us about the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Program that started in 1967?

GKS has produced a total of 8,700 graduates to date. These GKS alumni are currently working actively as friends and experts of Korea, directly and indirectly for Korea and promoting fraternal cooperation between Korea and their respective countries. There are many known examples. First, Ana Figueroa (2008, Master’s in political diplomacy), the diplomacy chairperson of El Salvador, is seeking to raise Korea's international status by holding discussions with the ruling party’s floor leader when the Korean delegation for the 2030 Busan Expo visited El Salvador, and is actively supporting Korea’s efforts to host the World Expo in Busan. Bron Sofiana (2012, Master’s degree in public policy), Deputy Secretary-General of Cambodia’s National Council on Minimum Wage, is working for the labor community of Cambodia and making efforts to promote exchanges between Korea and Cambodia by establishing the “Korean Alumni Association in Cambodia.” In addition to the above, numerous GKS alumni are actively working in the universities (especially in the Korean language and Korea-related fields), governments, international organizations, and Korea-related companies in their respective countries.

You attended the opening ceremony of the 2023 World Korean Educators Conference hosted by KSIF in August? Please share with us some stories about KSI learners who are fluent in Korean from the talk concert? at the opening ceremony.

It was a meaningful opportunity to learn about Korean language learners’ motivation for learning and the difficulties in studying. I was moved that they developed their dreams through learning Korean, and that they are working hard to make their dreams come true. Through the theme of the talk concert, “Dreams of Future Generations through Korean,” it has become a language that presents a new vision to future generations around the world. I hope that the National Institute for International Education and KSIF will cooperate further to help the dreams of future generations to be realized through Korean as wonderful works!