Shifting Study-Abroad Patterns of South Korean Students

Fewer Koreans are now studying overseas than in the past. Behind this trend are such factors as the shrinking youth population, the COVID-19 pandemic, rising global nationalist and xenophobic sentiments, and improvements in domestic higher education. Moreover, some of these factors explain evolving patterns of outbound flows and suggest emerging markets as attractive education destinations for Korean educational consumers. The full implications of these changes remain to be fully understood.