Ageing South Korea invites Vietnamese to study, stay

South Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province is selecting 72 teenage applicants from six countries – Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Cambodia and China – to study at its schools for the upcoming school year, to begin in March 2024, the Korea Herald reported.

Kim Mi-jeong, the program’s head at the North Gyeongsang Office of Education, said the students would not have to pay tuition, but they would need to pay for their living expenses.

Nine schools will accept the students, mostly vocational schools that allow boarding. Four of the schools – Uiseong Unitech High School, Korea International Culinary Arts High School, Korea Railroad High School and Gimcheon High School – have already finished the admission process. Thirty-two students from a combination of Thailand, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia have been selected and are already enrolled in the program.

The application deadline for the other schools is September 8. The Silla Technical High School in Gyeongju, Gyeongju Business High School, Gyeongju Girls Information High School, and Myeongin High School in Seongju are expected to accept 36 Vietnamese students combined.

The students would be able to apply for a subtype of the D-4 general trainee visa, which would allow them to stay in the country for one year. They will have to renew their visa every year to continue their studies and graduate.