Busan's foreign student population reaches record high of 24,328

The Korea Times - Sep 22, 2026

The foreign student population in Korea's second-largest city has climbed to a record 24,328 this year, a 30 percent increase from 2025, as Busan expands programs aimed at helping students study, work and settle in Korea. The figure, released Aug. 27 in national basic education statistics, compares with 18,630 foreign students in the southern port city in 2025 and 14,961 in 2024, according to Busan Metropolitan City. The city has worked with local universities since 2024 to attract 30,000 foreign students by 2028, while consolidating previously fragmented recruitment and support programs. Busan opened the Study Busan Hub in February as a one-stop support center for foreign students, linking universities and government agencies to services covering daily life, health care, finance, visas, Korean-language education and employment. The hub also works with Busan Immigration and Foreigners Office on group fingerprint registration for new foreign students and connects students with three designated hospitals — Daedong Hospital, Dong-Eui Medical Center and Good Gang-An Hospital. The city also

Read full article

More News

Kookmin University to strengthen cooperation with Uzbekistan's Ministry of Digital Technologies

Kookmin University to strengthen cooperation with Uzbekistan's Ministry of Digital Technologies

Kookmin University has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies to promote cooperation in advanced technologies and expand industry-academia collaboration. The university said the MOU was signed at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul on Thursday. The agreement is designed to formalize the areas of cooperation discussed during the visit of Jamol Tilloyevich Makhsudov, Uzbekistan’s deputy minister of digital technologies, to Kookmin University on Sept. 10. Jeong Seung-ryul, president of the university, held a meeting with Uzbekistan’s Digital Technologies Minister Sherzod Shermatov, who was visiting Korea to attend the Korea-Central Asia Summit, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The meeting was attended by Kim Byoung-joon, the university’s director of international affairs, and Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Korea Alisher Abdusalomov. The two sides exchanged views on talent development and industry-academia collaboration in advanced technology fields, including artificial intelligence (AI) and software. They agreed

Seoul breaks ground on Shin Jungang Market transformation

Seoul breaks ground on Shin Jungang Market transformation

Seoul has begun construction on an 18.7 billion won ($12.6 million) redesign of Shin Jungang Market in Jung District in the center of the capital, aiming to turn the traditional market into a destination where shoppers and tourists can eat, rest and experience local culture. The Seoul Metropolitan Government held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday at the market, marking the first construction project under its Design Innovation Traditional Market initiative, with completion targeted for August 2027. Founded as Seongdong Market in 1962, Shin Jungang Market grew into one of Seoul's foundational commercial hubs, anchoring the central city's postwar trade along with Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets. Over the decades, it became particularly famous as the city's premier wholesale center for grain and dried fish, weaving itself into the everyday life and culinary heritage of the capital. The project will replace the market’s existing arcade with an environmentally friendly wooden roof designed to admit natural light, while adding terraced resting areas and improving connections between the ma

Foreign students choose Seoul over New York, London, Paris for vibrant culture, cheaper rent - report

Foreign students choose Seoul over New York, London, Paris for vibrant culture, cheaper rent - report

Seoul has surged in popularity among international students worldwide, owing to its vibrant urban culture and lower housing costs than established hubs, British daily The Financial Times (FT) reported. The number of international students enrolled at universities in Korea rose 69 percent over the past three years to 307,500, data showed. The FT noted Seoul offers students good value, providing access to globally renowned K-pop culture and vibrant city life at manageable costs. Bolstered by K-pop's global reach, the capital increasingly attracts European and American students. The outlet added that Seoul's "energy, culture, food and cityscape promise a cosmopolitan lifestyle, which comes with a cheaper price tag than many students’ home cities." A major draw for these international students is Seoul's housing costs, which remain relatively affordable compared with major Western cities. Monthly rent was reported at about 900,000 won ($660) for a one-room apartment, or studio, and 600,000 won ($440) for "hasuk," a Korean-style boarding house. Students' reasons for choosing Seoul to study

Suicide leads causes of death among teens to 40s, cancer from 50s

Suicide leads causes of death among teens to 40s, cancer from 50s

The number of deaths in Korea last year reached the second-highest level on record, while suicide was the leading cause of death among people in their teens through their 40s, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Tuesday. Although both the number of suicides and the suicide rate declined from the previous year, teenagers stood out as an exception, with their suicide rate climbing to an all-time high. Meanwhile, cancer emerged as the leading cause of death starting among people in their 50s, highlighting a sharp divide in mortality patterns across age groups. According to the data, suicide accounted for more than half of all deaths among Koreans in their teens and 20s in 2025, underscoring its disproportionate impact on younger generations. The share stood at 51.2 percent for teenagers and rose to 53.5 percent for those in their 20s. It then fell to 42.3 percent among people in their 30s and 25.4 percent among those in their 40s. The suicide death rate, meanwhile, increased progressively across these age groups. It stood at 8.6 per 100,000 among teenagers, r

Wegovy, Mounjaro help Korean doctor navigate lifelong struggle with obesity

Wegovy, Mounjaro help Korean doctor navigate lifelong struggle with obesity

The after school meal never varied. He laid grilled pork belly in the largest pan in the kitchen to grill. After finishing the meat, he made instant noodles, tossing in generous helpings of rice cakes, dumplings and cheese before finishing the meal by stirring cooked rice into the remaining broth. As a high school student, Chang Hyoung-woo cooked this meal alone in the kitchen whenever he could, trying to avoid comments from anyone wandering in. The meal was so heavy that he would sleep hard for an hour or two before waking up to study. Looking back, he said the routine resembled how sumo wrestlers and traditional Korean "ssirum" wrestlers gain weight. Ate like ssireum wrestler Lavish meals had been his primary indulgence since childhood. While other boys his age were outdoors playing with friends, Chang had little interest in exercise. Instead, he favored fried chicken, hamburgers, red meat, snacks, cola and ice cream. He hated meals like sukiyaki and shabu-shabu that mixed thin slices of meat with vegetables to cook in broth. Why would anyone spoil quality meat with unwanted greens? Hi

Seoul to keep 6,000 clinics, pharmacies open during Chuseok

Seoul to keep 6,000 clinics, pharmacies open during Chuseok

During the annual Chuseok holiday, when millions of families travel across Korea to gather and celebrate the autumn harvest, finding an open doctor’s office can turn an ordinary illness into a logistical nightmare. In response to potential medical shortages during the four-day break from Thursday to Sunday, Seoul city officials said Tuesday that more than 6,000 medical clinics and pharmacies will remain open, supported by a 24-hour emergency response system. The initiative aims to prevent overburdening hospital emergency rooms with noncritical cases while ensuring that both light ailments and life-threatening conditions are managed smoothly. On average, roughly 1,547 medical institutions — comprising 642 clinics and 905 pharmacies — will operate daily across the capital. For residents experiencing minor illnesses like cold symptoms or indigestion, the city encourages visiting neighborhood clinics rather than rushing to hospital emergency rooms. Basic over-the-counter remedies, including fever reducers and pain relievers, will also remain continuously accessible across 6,926 design

YouTube ad restrictions put Korean 'mukbang' creators on alert

YouTube ad restrictions put Korean 'mukbang' creators on alert

YouTube’s tighter enforcement of its policies on eating disorder-related content is affecting Korean food and diet creators, with some losing advertising revenue or deleting hundreds of old videos. Tzuyang, one of Korea’s best-known "mukbang" creators, also weighed in on the issue in a video uploaded Sunday. Mukbang, which translates to eating broadcast, refers to content showing people eating large quantities of food. “I heard eating a lot isn’t the trend these days,” she said while vising Sinpo Market in Incheon. “I’ll try to be a YouTuber who eats a reasonable amount from now on.” She nevertheless went on to eat fried chicken, spicy rice cakes, Korean blood sausage, donuts and several other dishes in her usual mukbang style. Tzuyang has about 13.5 million subscribers on YouTube. Other creators have already faced restrictions. DietJo, a food and diet YouTuber with about 440,000 subscribers, said her channel had been demonetized as YouTube applies stricter guidelines to videos involving binge eating and eating disorder-related content. She said she had also stopped uploadi

KMTPA, Fypher team up on digital dollar infrastructure for medical tourism

KMTPA, Fypher team up on digital dollar infrastructure for medical tourism

The Korea Medical Tourism Promotion Association (KMTPA) and digital dollar infrastructure company Fypher signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at improving financial convenience for foreign medical tourists and expanding Asia's medical tourism ecosystem. KMTPA said Monday that under the agreement, it will combine its network of medical institutions with Fypher's digital dollar infrastructure, easing payment and remittance difficulties for foreign patients seeking medical services in Korea. "The sustainable competitiveness of Korea's medical tourism industry lies not only in excellent medical services but in branding the entire process, from choosing Korea to booking and payment, as an integrated, high-value-added product," said Kim Jin-kuk, KMTPA president. Kim added that through the partnership, KMTPA will work to make real, on-the-ground improvements so foreign patients can access Korean medical care in a more convenient and reliable environment. Paul Kim, chairman of Fypher, said medical tourism is a field where trust and convenience are essential in cross-border fund transfers. "

Chief justice rejects presidential office request to re-recommend Supreme Court justice nominee

Chief justice rejects presidential office request to re-recommend Supreme Court justice nominee

Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said Tuesday he cannot comply with the presidential office's request to re-recommend a candidate for a top court justice post, saying he could find no constitutional grounds for doing so. Last month, the presidential office had asked Cho to recommend a new candidate after taking issue with his written recommendation of two Supreme Court justice nominees to President Lee Jae Myung. Cho told reporters on Monday that the document concerning the request "does not specify the reasons for requesting a re-recommendation or the constitutional grounds for the request." "I cannot find any other specific constitutional grounds or reasons to justify the request for re-recommendation," Cho said. "I therefore state that I cannot comply with the request." Cho had recommended Son Bong-kie of the Daegu District Court and Kim Sung-soo, then a Seoul High Court judge, to be appointed as new Supreme Court justices by the president. Usually, the chief justice visits the president to make a face-to-face recommendation for a new Supreme Court justice after prior coordinati

Ex-nat'l football body chief referred to prosecution over ex-coach appointment

Ex-nat'l football body chief referred to prosecution over ex-coach appointment

Chung Mong-gyu, former chief of the Korea Football Association (KFA), has been referred to the prosecution over alleged irregularities in the appointment of former men's national team head coach Hong Myung-bo, police said Tuesday. Chung faces charges of obstruction of business for allegedly interfering in the head coach nomination process to get Hong appointed in July 2024, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Investigators believe Chung also took steps to make the appointment appear to have followed proper procedures. Hong's appointment sparked major public backlash at the time, with critics raising questions over a lack of transparency and alleged procedural irregularities. The investigation, which first began soon after Hong's appointment, recently gained renewed attention following Korea's elimination from the group stage at this year's World Cup. Investigators, however, decided not to press charges against Hong due to a lack of evidence that he interfered in the appointment process. Both Hong and Chung stepped down from their posts following the country's World Cup elimi

Land mine explosion occurs at DMZ during route clearance operation over suspected N. Korean minefield: JCS

Land mine explosion occurs at DMZ during route clearance operation over suspected N. Korean minefield: JCS

A suspected land mine explosion at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) occurred earlier this week during the military's route clearance operation to look into a potential minefield that might have been created by North Korean troops, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. The explosion occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the western sector of the DMZ, separating the two Koreas, on Monday, leaving three military officers injured, including one who lost his ankle. The JCS said the explosion took place during a military operation to clear a route in the DMZ ahead of an on-site inspection by the United Nations Command (UNC) set for early next week. The South Korean military earlier said it had identified some terrain changes in some parts south of the DMZ and was in consultations with the UNC over the possibility that North Korean troops may have planted land mines. "The site of the explosion was near the MDL," JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young told a press briefing. "We plan to determine the exact location and cause of the explosion through an on-site inspection, once safet

Recommended

Asia Viral News

Asia Viral News features the latest and most trending news from Asia. Get ready to immerse yourself in the daily engaging topics with share-worthy news only in Asia Viral News.

ABOUT US
Newsletter

Copyright © 2015 - 2026 Asia Viral News. All Rights Reserved.