Credit: Public domain.
According to a new survey by Korean Educational Development Institute 한국교육개발원, a government think tank under the Ministry of Education 교육부, 40% of South Korea’s graduate students in Korean language or Korean literature are international students as of 2021.
In the case of the prestigious Seoul National University 국립서울대학교, 43 out of 109 graduate students majoring in Korean Language and Literature 국어국문학과 are international students, the highest proportion ever.
Among Korean students, the demand for an advanced degree in Korean language and literature has been steadily weakening as non-STEM majors are seen as a disadvantage in the job market. Meanwhile, the global popularity of South Korea’s pop culture has been attracting international students to learn advanced Korean.