Is the drastic decrease in Koreans studying in China a sign of cooling relations between the two countries?

The number of Korean students attending universities, graduate schools and foreign language institutes in China hit an all-time low last year, with just a few as of April compared to a peak of 73,240 in 2017, according to the latest statistics from the Seoul Ministry of Education. The total number of people was 15,857.

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Kang Joon-young, a professor of Chinese studies at the Korea University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said the decline in the number of Korean students studying abroad is compounded by China’s deteriorating image in South Korea.

“Parents and students have come to believe that China’s image in the international community is declining and that China is becoming more rigid, and have decided that studying abroad in China may not be of much use in the future. [the country’s] “Socialism has become relatively clear,” Kang said.

“Furthermore, as South Korea-China relations have not progressed, overall favorable ratings have dropped significantly.”

But Beijing, seeing the presence of U.S. troops on its doorstep as a threat, retaliated by restricting tourism to South Korea and boycotting South Korean retailers, pop stars and television shows.

Yoon’s predecessor, Moon Jae-in, tried to mend relations with China, but the scars remained, as did the hostility towards China.

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In January, the Chinese government suspended visas for South Koreans traveling for business, tourism, medical, transit, and general personal purposes in retaliation for what it called “South Korea’s discriminatory entry restrictions” against Chinese nationals. .

Zhou Xiaoli, an associate professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that with the decline in student numbers, China is losing the opportunity for more South Koreans to see the country for themselves, adding to the strained relationship. said that it is one of the best ways to alleviate and change negative situations. Awareness of China.

“I feel that bilateral relations, especially people-to-people exchanges and national sentiment, have returned to the state they were in before diplomatic relations were established,” Zhou said.

“Korean students in China have played a very important role in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, but if this trend continues, it will not be particularly helpful for improving bilateral relations in the long term.” Breakthrough in political relations is. ”

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Flights suspended as South Korea’s most important university entrance exam begins

Student flows have long been a barometer of the strength of bilateral relations.

China and South Korea were enemies during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, and remained enemies throughout the Cold War. However, soon after diplomatic relations were normalized in 1992, students began traveling between the two countries. Just a few months after the normalization of diplomatic relations, the first group of three Korean students supported by Chinese government scholarships arrived in China.

Bilateral relations quickly warmed up, mainly due to complementary economic ties between the countries. South Korean conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG quickly established a foothold in China, taking advantage of low labor costs. This led to an influx of Korean companies into China, from the port city of Tianjin in the north to Huizhou, Guangdong Province in the south.

According to official Chinese data, bilateral trade increased from US$5.03 billion in 1992 to US$362.3 billion in 2022. In 2003, China surpassed the United States to become South Korea’s largest export market, and in 2022, South Korea replaced Japan as China’s fourth largest trading partner.

The trade and investment boom has also sparked interest in China among South Korean students, with the number of students studying in China more than quadrupling in 2017 from 16,372 in 2001.

During a state visit to South Korea in 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a group of students from the prestigious Seoul University that robust bilateral trade and exchanges would help the two countries become “true strategic partners” and improve bilateral relations. He said this shows that he is in a “good condition.” The best period of development in history.”

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Uhm Jung-sik immigrated to the country in 2013 at the age of 14, one of thousands of South Korean students drawn to the “China rush.”

“At that time, my teachers and parents believed that international trade was booming and that studying abroad in China and being able to speak Chinese would be very useful,” he says.

Currently a student at Zhejiang University in eastern China, Om said he is well aware of the ups and downs of bilateral relations.

“The strongest hostility I felt was during the THAAD conflict, when taxi drivers told me to leave when they found out I was Korean,” he said. “Also, when political relations deteriorated, mail from South Korea to China often became longer and more expensive.”

“China’s attractiveness has declined.” [for overseas studies] Due to economic slowdown. In fact, most Koreans do not understand China’s political system, so it is inevitable that disputes will arise between us and the Chinese people over political topics.” said Lee, who works at .

Kang, from the Korea University of Foreign Studies, said the Chinese and South Korean governments “need to face reality and take steps to restore trust.”

But Beijing’s Zhou says it won’t be an easy task, as China has made significant technological advances to become a competitor in the global market and is no longer just an export destination for South Korea.

Yun’s pro-American stance has also dampened hopes for a quick improvement in relations between China and Seoul, she added.

“I hope that in the future, the two economies will be able to find a new balance point through new complementary cooperation, and if relations between China and the United States improve, there is a possibility that relations between China and South Korea will improve as well,” Zhou said. It is also expected.” “However, we cannot expect significant improvement.” [the coming] 5 years. ”

She said the good news is that South Korea still has a significant number of Chinese students. According to statistics from the Korea Educational Development Research Institute, approximately 67,439 Chinese students will be studying at higher education institutions in South Korea in 2022, accounting for 40.4% of all international students in the country.

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Lim Ji-young, 21, a Chinese student at Beijing Normal University, is trying to build goodwill between young people from both countries by sharing her experiences online and encouraging Koreans to visit China.

“Many of my Korean friends don’t have a good impression of China because of the political tensions and economic conflicts that are reported in the media,” said Lim, who is currently a third-year university student.

“No matter how much I tried to convince them, they hardly changed their mind, mainly because they had never experienced China.”

“Young Koreans love Chinese food. Malatan and Tanful” she said, referring to a type of spicy hot pot and traditional street food. “But they have a very negative view of China, and I feel bad about that.”

Lim said she plans to take two friends to Beijing next month “to show them that China has a lot of interesting things and delicious food.”

“Look at South Korea and Japan. Relations between the two countries used to be very bad, but recently, many Koreans have visited Japan, so relations between the two countries have gotten much better.”

Additional reporting by Fred He