Top university degrees fail to guarantee jobs for international students in South Korea

Even a degree from Seoul National University (SNU), consistently ranked as the nation's top institution by the QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education (THE), no longer ensures a smooth transition into the Korean workforce.

Do Ngoc Minh Luong, a Vietnamese Computer Science graduate from SNU, experienced these hurdles firsthand during internships at two major corporations.

"At one of the companies, it was slightly difficult because I think I was in the first foreigner batch. So, it took them a while to prepare all the documents after I got accepted," she told The Korea Herald.

Luong noted a significant knowledge gap among employers regarding the legalities of international hiring, adding, "I feel like Korean companies don’t really know much (about the visa process)."

This sentiment is echoed by Rosa Haque, a Bangladeshi graduate of Yonsei University, ranked as Asia's top private university by QS in 2025 and 2026, who also holds a master's degree from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

Haque struggled to find any job postings tailored for international students on dominant platforms like Google and Naver.

Speaking to The Korea Herald, she explained that she was often forced to email HR departments directly, only to be redirected toward open recruitment cycles where she had to compete on identical terms with local applicants.

Data from South Korea's Ministry of Education reveals a complex reality. While the number of international students finding work in the country grew from 1,700 in 2018 to nearly 5,000 in 2024, the total number of graduates doubled during that same window.

Consequently, the effective employment rate has seen only a marginal increase, rising from 9.6% to approximately 13.8%. This stands in stark contrast to student aspirations, as surveys indicate that between 60% and 80% of international students hope to remain in South Korea for work.

For those who do secure positions, the reality often falls short of the "Korean dream."

One Vietnamese graduate told The Korea Times of his frustration after being sidelined during a software engineering internship.

"I was hired as an intern for a software engineering role, but I was quickly transferred to a global business department handling Vietnam-related tasks. The company did not give me a chance to apply my major and only seemed to expect me to serve as a translator," he said.

Similarly, a Myanmar national with a master's degree in ecology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences told The Korea Times that their role at a forestry research institute was limited to administrative tasks.

"I am only doing translation work and writing meeting minutes. I asked my supervisor for responsibilities related to my field of study, but nothing has changed," they stated.

Industry experts confirm that the window for entry-level foreign talent is closing. Park, a recruitment specialist for major South Korean corporations, told The Korea Herald that opportunities are declining sharply, with most successful foreign hires occurring at the executive rather than the junior level.

The barriers to entry remain structural. Standardized recruitment tests at conglomerates like Samsung and SK are typically conducted in Korean, placing non-native speakers at a disadvantage against locals who spend months specializing in these exams.

Furthermore, the transition from a D-10 internship visa to a formal E-7 work visa is notoriously difficult.

Hugo Adam, a French student at SNU, pointed out to The Korea Herald that the E-7 visa guidelines alone span 105 pages within a 450-page government document available only in Korean.

The administrative burden is so high that even international entrepreneurs are hesitant to hire their peers.

Andrua Haque, Rosa’s twin brother, told The Korea Herald that he would not consider hiring international students for his own startup due to the complex paperwork and strict quotas. Current regulations often require companies to maintain a specific ratio of Korean to foreign employees, effectively forcing a firm to hire a local staff member for every international hire.

In response to these growing concerns, South Korea’s Ministry of Education said it is working to address the gap.

Current initiatives include expanding Korean-language support and tying government funding for local municipalities to their success in attracting and integrating foreign talent.