International students in Korea top 500,000 for 1st time on Korean cultural boom

International students and trainees in Korea topped 500,000 for the first time last year, driven by the global popularity of Korean pop culture. The number reached 505,410, or 2.7 percent of all 18.94 million foreign arrivals, according to Korea Tourism Organization data released by Rep. Jin Sun-mee. Jin said the surge reflects growing interest in Korean language study and degree programs, and called for tailored policy support. The figure rose steadily from 80,084 in 2021 to 435,129 in 2024.

The 505,410 study or training arrivals last year were more than six times the 80,084 recorded in 2021.

The 2025 total represented 2.7 percent of all 18.94 million foreign arrivals in Korea last year.

Tourism made up more than 83 percent of arrivals last year, or 15.82 million visitors, while business and official duty accounted for 0.8 percent and 0.4 percent.

The yearly count climbed from 152,195 in 2022 to 313,980 in 2023 and 435,129 in 2024 before crossing 500,000 last year.

Published Sep 10, 2026 8:40 am KST

Foreign students try out "pungmullori," a traditional Korean art form that combines music, dance and acrobatics, during a club expo of Ajou University held on the school's campus in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 2. Yonhap

The number of foreigners coming to study in Korea surpassed 500,000 for the first time last year, a more than sixfold increase over four years, driven by the global popularity of Korean pop culture, government data showed Thursday.

Some 505,410 of the 18.94 million foreign visitors to Korea last year entered for "study or training" purposes, accounting for 2.7 percent of all arrivals, according to the data from the Korea Tourism Organization released by Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party.

The figure marks a sharp rebound from just 80,084 in 2021, when the country was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and represents steady annual growth to 152,195 in 2022, 313,980 in 2023 and 435,129 in 2024 before crossing the 500,000 threshold last year.

Of all the arrivals last year, more than 83 percent, or 15.82 million, visited for tourism, while business and official duty purposes accounted for 0.8 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, of the visits.

Jin, who is a member of the parliamentary committee on culture and tourism, attributed the surge to growing interest in Korean language study and formal degree programs spurred by the global boom of Korean cultural products, such as K-pop and dramas.

"The global spread of K-content is now bearing fruit not only in short-term tourism but also in long-term stays, such as study and training," Jin said in a release.

She called for "tailored policy support" to help foreign students and trainees better adapt to local communities as the government seeks to sustain the momentum.

受韩国流行文化在全球的推动，去年赴韩国际学生和实习生人数首次突破50万人。据韩国旅游发展局公布的数据，这一数字达到505,410人，占韩国1894万外国游客总数的2.7%。韩国众议员金善美表示，这一增长反映了人们对韩语学习和学位课程日益增长的兴趣，并呼吁政府出台相应的政策支持。预计这一数字将从2021年的80,084人稳步增长至2024年的435,129人。

去年赴海外学习或培训的人数为 505,410 人，是 2021 年记录的 80,084 人的六倍多。

2025 年的总人数占去年韩国入境外国游客总数 1894 万人的 2.7%。

去年，旅游业占入境人数的 83% 以上，即 1582 万游客，而商务和公务分别占 0.8% 和 0.4%。

2022 年的年度统计数字为 152,195，2023 年为 313,980，2024 年为 435,129，去年突破了 500,000。

发布于2026年9月10日上午8:40（韩国标准时间）

9月2日，在京畿道水原市的亚洲大学校园内，外国留学生在校园社团博览会上体验了韩国传统艺术形式“风舞”（pungmullori），该艺术形式融合了音乐、舞蹈和杂技。（韩联社）

韩国政府周四公布的数据显示，去年赴韩留学的外国学生人数首次超过50万人，四年内增长超过六倍，这主要得益于韩国流行文化在全球的流行。

根据韩国旅游发展局的数据，去年赴韩外国游客1894万人中，约有505410人以“学习或培训”为目的入境，占入境游客总数的2.7%。该数据由执政党共同民主党议员金善美公布。

这一数字标志着该国在 2021 年 COVID-19 疫情高峰期时，人口数量仅为 80,084 人，实现了强劲反弹。预计到 2022 年将稳步增长至 152,195 人，2023 年将增长至 313,980 人，2024 年将增长至 435,129 人，并在去年突破 50 万大关。

去年所有入境游客中，超过 83%（即 1582 万人）是来旅游的，而商务和公务目的的游客分别占 0.8% 和 0.4%。

金是国会文化和旅游委员会的成员，他将这一激增归因于韩国文化产品（如 K-pop 和电视剧）在全球的蓬勃发展，进而激发了人们对韩语学习和正规学位课程的兴趣。

金在一份声明中表示：“韩流内容的全球传播如今不仅在短期旅游方面取得了成果，而且在长期停留（如学习和培训）方面也取得了成果。”

她呼吁政府提供“量身定制的政策支持”，帮助外国学生和实习生更好地适应当地社区，以保持这一势头。