American students are being tempted by the growing popularity of Korean pop culture and a rise in English-taught programs to study in the South Asian country, a new report from Korea University and Underwood International College (UIC) has found.
Citing data from the Institute of International Education in the US and South Korea’s Ministry of Justice, the report’s authors noted that international students from the US have grown “eight-fold” since the early 2000s, surging dramatically from 834 in 2002/03 to 5,909 in 2022/23.
As well as seeing significant growth in international students over the past decade, South Korea’s international education sector saw a swift rebound following the pandemic, the report said.
“These trends solidify Korea’s status as an emerging and major player in the international exchange of US students,” it added.
The authors – Kyuseok Kim, IES Abroad Seoul’s center director, and Edward Choi, an assistant professor at UIC – suggested a number of factors behind this phenomenon, including a global craze for Korean pop (K-pop) music and acclaimed television series such as Netflix’s Squid Game, which they said are “adding to Korea’s reputational cache”.
“Students drawn to the Korean culture are increasingly part of a global cultural migration. The pull of cultural immersion has become significant – over the utilitarian needs of career or academic mobility,” they said.
“This shift, from utilitarian to cultural, is a step in a positive direction, reinforcing long-standing efforts by both countries to forge ties based on mutual understanding and cultural exchange.”
But they also noted that South Korea’s internationalisation strategy for higher education – which kicked off in the 1990s and now aims for the country to welcome an international student population of 300,000 by 2027 – appears to be “finally paying off”.
The country has worked to attract international students via educational exchanges with other countries, forging partnerships with other institutions overseas and increasing the number of English-taught programs at Korean higher education institutions.
This shift, from utilitarian to cultural, is a step in a positive direction, reinforcing long-standing efforts by both countries to forge ties based on mutual understanding and cultural exchange
Kyuseok Kim, IES Abroad Seol and Edward Choi, UIC
The authors also picked up on “shifting views” among US students towards “diverse types of educational engagements in Korea”, which they credited to a growing appetite for short-term study abroad opportunities.
“The strategic implications of these trends for international education providers are profound,” the report said. “With Korea’s educational appeal strengthening, there is a clear indication that future program offerings should increasingly cater to the demand for shorter, more culturally integrated overseas learning experiences.”
