More S.Koreans choose China for study

By Li Jing

The number of South Koreans choosing to study in China has risen in recent years, and it may exceed those going to the US for the first time this year if the trend continues, the Yonhap News Agency reported Monday.

According to Seoul's education ministry, 66,806 South Koreans went to China to study in 2009, up from 29,102 in 2006, 42,269 in 2007 and 57,504 in 2008, Yonhap reported.

The number of South Korean students in China was ranked first by 2009, compared with those in China from other countries, China Youth Daily quoted the Chinese Ministry of Education as saying on March 23.

The number of students enrolling in universities and graduate schools in China grew twofold during the 2006-2009 period, from 14,611 to 28,836, showing an outstanding trend that more students are seeking degrees rather than short-term language training, the news report said.

Wang Xuesong, a professor at the College of Chinese Language and Culture of Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times that Seoul's economic slip led to the number of South Korean students in China decreasing slightly during 2008 and 2009, adding that South Koreans largely chose majors involving Chinese language and culture, internation-al relations and commerce.

Furthermore, China is soon expected to have more South Korean students than those in the US, considering the com-paratively rapid surge in recent years, the report said.

The rate of increase in the number of students heading to the US was reported to be slower, numbering 68,124 in 2009 compared with 57,940 in 2006.

Sunny Lee, a South Korean analyst, told the Global Times that the fact that South Koreans came to China not just to study language but to earn a degree shows the increasing competitiveness of Chinese universities.

At South Korea's top Seoul National University in 2004, the number of students who chose Chinese as their major outnumbered those who chose English for the first time, he said.

When asked about why China is chosen for advanced study, Kayoung Park, a graduate student at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times, "Not only can I improve my Chinese to further communicate with many Chinese, but it would be cool to be in China to see how China changes."

Furthermore, Lee stressed that China's support for higher education and its significant status in the international community jointly resulted in the changing preference of South Koreans, adding, "There is even a saying in South Korea that it should send 1 million students to China to prepare for a 'China era.'"