Students studying abroad drop for two consecutive years

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- The number of elementary, middle and high school
students heading overseas to study has decreased for the second consecutive year
as parents cut back on spending due to the economic slump and weak local
currency, a government report showed Thursday.
The number of students who left the country alone stood at 27,349 between March
last year and February this year, 319 less than the previous year, according to
the report released by the Korean Educational Development Institute. Last year,
the figure fell for the first time in more than a decade.
A total number of outbound students, including emigrants and those who accompany
parents dispatched overseas, also fell to 40,961 in the cited period, compared to
43,415 in the previous year, the report noted.
By country, 32.1 percent of South Korean students were headed to the U.S.,
followed by 19.5 percent to South East Asian nations and 13.2 percent to China.
The remainder went to English-speaking countries, including Canada, Australia and
New Zealand, it said.
"There may be other reasons of the decline, but it seems like more parents are
feeling the pinch of the weak local currency and ongoing economic downturn," an
official at the education ministry, said.
Many parents in Korea spend large sums of money to send their children abroad due
to fierce competition for higher education and a zeal for English study.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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