More international students are choosing Korean universities. The harder question is what happens after they arrive.
South Korea's Ministry of Justice says the number of newly enrolled international students reached 117,333 in 2025, up 75% from 66,915 in 2019.
That figure refers to new international student enrollments, not the total number of foreign students living or studying in Korea.
The ministry's analysis covered 530,557 international students admitted to Korean universities between 2019 and 2025, including exchange students, as well as 152,107 graduates excluding exchange students.
The growth is not evenly distributed
The rise was especially noticeable in Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeollanam-do and Gyeonggi-do.
Some fields also expanded much faster than others. According to the government summary, new international enrollment in clinical laboratory, nursing and care-related programs increased 296% over the period, while semiconductor-related programs increased 138%.
The nationality mix is changing too.
Myanmar and Nepal recorded some of the fastest growth rates, while China and Vietnam still accounted for some of the largest numbers of new students.
Those numbers tell us who is arriving.
They do not tell us what daily life feels like after arrival.
Enrollment is only the beginning
Studying in Korea can quickly turn into a practical test of how well someone can navigate systems that were not designed around a newcomer.
Banking, housing contracts, phone plans, hospital bookings, government websites, delivery apps and Korean-only customer service can turn ordinary tasks into recurring friction.
The Ministry of Justice study itself looks beyond admission and follows the pathway through study, graduation, employment and settlement.
That distinction matters.
A country can become more successful at attracting international students without automatically becoming easier to live in as an international student.
That is what we want to measure
SEEN IN KOREA is starting 100 Voices: Korea, an original interview and survey project with foreigners living in the country.
We are not trying to produce another list of generic tips.
We want to document what people repeatedly struggle with, what surprises them, which Korean products they buy again, what they wish were easier, and what they would take home.
Over time, those answers should let us separate one-off anecdotes from recurring patterns.
The first questions are simple:
- What was hardest when you first arrived in Korea?
- What is still unnecessarily difficult?
- Which Korean service is most confusing?
- What Korean product do you buy repeatedly?
- What do you wish you could buy easily back home?
The official numbers show that the international student population entering Korea has changed dramatically since 2019.
100 Voices is our attempt to understand what those numbers do not show: the experience after arrival.