Study Abroad Program

[Anchor Lead]

Fifty students from a single high school in China have come to Seoul to study. Korea's drive for academic excellence and the popularity of Korean pop culture has motivated these students to come to Korea.

[Pkg]

This is the first encounter between a nervous-looking Chinese student and his Korean classmates.

[Soundbite] Chinese student studying in Korea : "I'm a fan of Korean go player Lee Se-dol."

His curiosity is piqued by his first class.

[Soundbite] Chinese student studying in Korea : "I think it's amazing and fresh."

This foreign language high school, where 14 Chinese girls have come to study, places them in the same curriculum as Korean students.

[Soundbite] Chinese student studying in Korea : "I like Korea, because I like Korean dramas and variety shows."

This group study-abroad program involving 50 students was organized in response to an eager proposal from the Chinese side. The popularity of hallyu has prompted Chinese students to prefer studying in Korea. Chinese parents, with their fervor for education, are also thought to favor Korea's educational environment.

[Soundbite] Chinese student studying in Korea : "Korean students study really hard, until 2AM."

These students are staying at dorms and attempting to enter Korean universities mostly through the special admissions program for foreigners.

[Soundbite] Lee Ki-hoon(Teacher, Myung Duk Foreign Language H.S.) : "The recent Korea-China relations are not all that positive, but such misunderstandings can be resolved when we talk about them."

The number of foreign students attending local high schools has increased about 30% from three years ago. The Hallyu Korean culture wave appears to be extending into the sphere of public education as well.