Asian Teens Invited to Enroll in South Korean High Schools

[webfact]

BANGKOK (NNT) - South Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province is taking innovative measures to address its declining youth population by inviting teenagers from various Asian countries to enroll in its high schools.

 

The aim of this initiative is not only to bolster school enrollment but also to cultivate potential future residents for the region. The province is currently in the process of selecting 72 eligible candidates from six Asian countries – Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Cambodia, and China – for admission to its high schools in the upcoming school year starting in March 2024.

 

Under this program, selected students will be granted free tuition, similar to their Korean counterparts. However, they will be responsible for covering their living expenses, including dormitory fees. The initiative is especially attractive due to South Korea’s policy of providing free public education from elementary to high school levels, resulting in no scholarships being offered for this study abroad opportunity.

 

Nine schools, primarily vocational institutions with boarding facilities, will welcome foreign students through this program. Applicants are required to submit their middle school academic records and achieve at least Level 2 in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), a state-run language test. Successful candidates will be eligible to apply for a D-4-3 visa, which typically caters to elementary, middle, or high school students studying in South Korea.

 

The D-4 visa permits students to reside in South Korea for a year, with the requirement to renew the visa annually to continue their studies beyond the initial year and ultimately graduate. Discussions are underway with relevant authorities to facilitate work visas for program graduates, encouraging them to settle in North Gyeongsang Province after completing their studies.

 

Among the participating schools, Uiseong Unitech High School, Korea International Culinary Arts High School, Korea Railroad High School, and Gimcheon High School have already concluded their application processes. A total of 32 students from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Mongolia have been admitted to these institutions. The application deadline for the remaining five schools is September 8.

 

The initiative is set to continue next year for the 2025 school year, with possible adjustments to the list of participating schools and student quotas.

by Krajangwit Johjit

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230901113002069

 

-- NNT 2023-09-02

 

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[Adumbration]

Very smart of the Korean government.  It is trying to avert the inverted population pyramid that will collapse China in due course.

 

Of course the inverted pyramid is also a very significant problem for Thailand.  But the powers to be here are too busy feeding at the trough to actually implement plans for Thailand's future.

 

Interesting that Korea does not offer school places to white foreigners...

[connda]

I think most Thai students, especially those given high grades based on participation vs merit, and rote learning vs analysis - will be in for a shock once they enter the Korean school system.  However, if they can manage passing the Level 2 in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), they may be light-years ahead of their Thai peers. 

By the way - importing Thai students isn't going to do diddly-squat for the Korea population.  Westernized ASEAN kids aren't reproducing either.  So Thailand may be sending their 'best and brightest' away to the detriment of Thai society as a whole.

But in the meanwhile, migrant labor from Myanmar are landing in Thailand to do, "the jobs Thais refuse to do (supposedly)" and unlike Thai kids, these younger folk from Myanmar reproduce and find it advantageous to do so in Thailand as a Myanmar child born in Thailand is very much an "anchor baby."  That doesn't work for farang, but cheap labor from other less developed ASEAN nations are a different story.  Speaking from discussions about Myanmar migrants that my wife initiates with me.

How ironic, that after hundreds of years of attempting to conquer Thailand, Myanmar finally succeeds as Burmese migrants become a larger and larger subset of the Thai population. 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Very smart of the Korean government.  It is trying to avert the inverted population pyramid that will collapse China in due course.

 

Of course the inverted pyramid is also a very significant problem for Thailand.  But the powers to be here are too busy feeding at the trough to actually implement plans for Thailand's future.

 

Interesting that Korea does not offer school places to white foreigners...

I guess with only 72 places available going global seemed pointless, just keep it local

[Scouse123]

13 hours ago, connda said:

But in the meanwhile, migrant labor from Myanmar are landing in Thailand to do, "the jobs Thais refuse to do (supposedly)"

 

That pretty much sums it up,

 

Thais thinking they are too good to do certain jobs when they have no language skills nor educational qualifications with the exception of tik tok and Facebook.

 

Ah well, swing away in the hammock at home, borrow from Mom and Dad until they have nothing left and watch the Cambodians and Burmese do all the work, because working is beneath you.