The competitiveness of nations in the era of artificial intelligence, known as the AX age, is not determined solely by technology and capital. The future of countries and industries hinges on how many talented individuals can be secured who can utilize AI to identify new problems, connect diverse knowledge, and implement ideas into technology, products, and services.
Talent acquisition does not begin only at the stage of recruiting already proven experts. It is crucial to identify promising youth early and help them establish connections with our country's education, research, and industrial ecosystems. The ability to build trust with potential global talent at an early stage is becoming a key factor in long-term competitiveness.
The South Korean government and universities are emphasizing the attraction of international students, the globalization of universities, and the settlement of outstanding talent in the country. However, much of the policy focuses on recruitment and management after students have already decided to study in Korea or applied to universities, as well as on employment and settlement after graduation.
In fact, there are insufficient programs in place to help global youth experience Korea for the first time and to think about their aptitudes, career paths, and futures in connection with Korea. We are missing the 'front end' of attracting global talent.
Major universities in the United States and Europe have long utilized summer and winter breaks to offer pre-college programs and campus experiences for youth. Students can experience college classes and life in advance while interacting with peers from around the world and exploring their majors and career paths. Universities can meet potential outstanding students early, cities can enhance their international recognition, and countries can build long-term global talent networks.
I have confirmed this gap through requests from Latin American parents. They expressed disappointment that while there are various programs in North America and Europe for youth to experience universities and cultures during breaks, there are almost no systematic programs in Korea to engage with universities, advanced industries, and cultural content.
Initially, I thought this interest might be limited to some K-pop fan families. Therefore, I directly contacted major private schools in Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Miami. Many schools were already running educational and cultural experience programs that send students abroad in groups during breaks, and they indicated that if a reliable curriculum and safety management system were established in Korea, they could consider it as a new destination. They also confirmed their willingness to cover airfare, tuition, and accommodation costs if the quality of education and safety were guaranteed.
Embassies of Latin American countries in South Korea initially expressed concerns about the safety and management of minors. However, after explaining that local school teachers would accompany students upon entry and stay with them throughout the program, and that systematic protection measures would be established domestically, they showed interest in meaningful youth exchanges.
Having lived in Latin America and worked as a diplomat in nine countries for about 40 years, I supported outstanding local students in studying in Korea during my time at the embassy, and I continue to assist Latin American students in settling and finding careers in Korea. Based on this experience and local responses, there is sufficient demand for Korean-style pre-college programs.
The issue is not that global youth lack interest in Korea. The problem lies in the lack of processes to connect their existing interest with education, career exploration, and long-term talent networks.
Transforming Cities into Campuses
Korea does not need to simply replicate the university-centered programs of the United States and Europe. Instead, it has a more favorable environment to provide the integrated and experiential education that today’s youth desire.
Young people do not want to hear only about specific majors at certain universities. They want to see how knowledge created at universities is utilized in research institutions and companies, and how an idea evolves into technology, products, services, and cultural content.
Korea offers a relatively safe living environment and convenient public transportation. Universities, research institutions, advanced companies, and cultural facilities are also concentrated in close proximity. Students can experience artificial intelligence, semiconductors, robotics, biotechnology, future automobiles, and smart cities in a short period, while also observing the processes through which K-pop, dramas, films, games, and webtoons are planned and produced for the global market.
The Korean Wave is a powerful attraction drawing the attention of global youth to Korea. However, Korea's true competitiveness lies not only in completed cultural products. The dynamic ecosystem where universities, research institutions, and companies collaborate to quickly turn ideas into technology, products, and services is a greater asset.
Global youth can experience the entire process in Korea, where knowledge and ideas transition through research and technology into industry, market, culture, and society. This is not merely a tour; it is a career exploration that helps students discover what interests them and what problems they want to solve, while also fostering future education through collaboration with peers from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Therefore, there is no need to limit programs to the name of a single university. The city can serve as a platform where various universities, research institutions, companies, international organizations, and cultural institutions provide their expertise and facilities. Universities can offer major lectures and campus experiences, research institutions can showcase new technologies and research sites, and companies can demonstrate the process of turning ideas into products and services.
Specialized operating organizations can manage accommodations, transportation, insurance, and daily living, while local school teachers and domestic guides can share responsibility for student protection. This way, the entire city becomes an open campus and a living textbook.
Korean youth should also participate. Rather than merely introducing Korea to foreign students, Korean and global youth should live together, discuss, and collaborate on joint projects focusing on artificial intelligence, climate change, future cities, and cultural content. Through the process of reconciling differences with friends from different languages and cultures and producing a single outcome, creativity, communication skills, empathy, and leadership can be cultivated.
The youth who brainstormed together today may meet again in 10 or 20 years as scientists, businesspeople, policymakers, and cultural artists from their respective countries. The friendships and trust formed during youth are long-term human assets that cannot be created through one-time national promotions.
Local Governments Creating Global Talent Platforms
In urban pre-college programs, local governments should not merely be sponsors of events. They need to become builders of platforms that connect local universities, research institutes, companies, and cultural institutions, designing the future industries and educational resources of the city into a single international educational curriculum.
Songdo is a suitable pilot area. It is home to foreign universities, international organizations, research institutions, and bio and information technology companies, and is close to Incheon International Airport. However, this concept should not be limited to Songdo. Daejeon can develop educational content based on science and technology, Ulsan can focus on automobiles and shipbuilding, Gwangju on artificial intelligence and culture, and Busan on marine and logistics.
Local governments should not just allocate budgets to specific universities but should publicly select excellent educational programs linked to local industries to encourage cooperation among universities. Each university should participate in areas where they have competitiveness, rather than based on size or ranking, while companies and research institutions should provide field experiences and projects.
Students can explore their aptitudes and interests by experiencing various universities, research institutes, and industrial sites. Universities can meet potential international students early, and companies and research institutions can connect with future global talent and overseas school networks. Cities will gain a new brand that showcases their educational and industrial competitiveness to the world.
Alongside youth programs, separate programs for parents and teachers can also be implemented. While students participate in classes and projects, parents and teachers can be introduced to Korea's education system, healthcare, culture, local industries, and investment environment. The visit of a single student can expand into ongoing exchanges between a family, a school, and even two cities and two countries.
While ensuring safety, the door to possibilities must remain open.
Although interest from overseas schools, parents, and embassies in South Korea has been confirmed, the process of realizing programs domestically has not been easy. Due to a lack of clear operational standards and role-sharing structures regarding the safety and responsibility of minors, universities and related institutions have been hesitant to participate in new programs.
Student safety is paramount. Consent from guardians, accompaniment by local teachers, placement of domestic professional guides and living managers, separation of male and female accommodations, nighttime supervision, connections to medical institutions, insurance coverage, and emergency response systems must be established.
However, the issue is not the existence of safety standards. The problem lies in the lack of clear standards and responsibility-sharing structures applicable to new types of international education programs. If we try to fit them only into the existing frameworks of training activities or group tourism, it will be difficult to initiate programs that have adequate protective measures.
There is no need to launch a large-scale project from the outset. Local governments can lead small pilot programs involving universities, research institutions, companies, overseas schools, and specialized operating organizations. By verifying safety and educational effectiveness and addressing issues, these can develop into regular summer and winter courses. The government should establish standard guidelines that include qualifications for operating organizations, student protection, accommodation, medical, and insurance standards, and the scope of responsibility in case of accidents to reduce uncertainties on the ground.
The Korean Wave has drawn the attention of global youth to Korea. Now, we must connect that interest not just to temporary visits and consumption but to education, research, industry, and future talent networks.
Urban pre-college programs are not about welcoming youth as temporary visitors. They represent a long-term national talent strategy that connects the entire city as a campus with global potential talent, universities, research, and industry.
If a few weeks of experience can lead to online joint classes and follow-up projects, as well as an international alumni network after returning home, then a short visit can become a human asset of diplomacy, economy, and culture that lasts for decades. Not every participant needs to enroll in a Korean university. If those who deeply experienced Korea in their youth grow into businesspeople, scientists, civil servants, and cultural artists in their respective countries and collaborate with Korea, that alone would be a significant national asset.
The competition to attract global talent begins not at the university admission stage, but at the point where global youth first discover their futures in a city.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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