Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Education Announce Successful International Student Job Fair and Plans for Future Support Expansion

The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education jointly hosted an international student job fair that has contributed to alleviating the labor shortage of domestic companies and the settlement of excellent overseas talent in the country, achieving its intended results. The two ministries announced that based on the outcomes of this fair, they plan to expand specialized regional fairs and further strengthen institutional support for international students' employment.

This joint job fair was organized to provide quality employment opportunities for foreign students studying at domestic universities and to connect them with domestic companies facing labor shortages. In particular, in various job sectors with high demand for labor, such as advanced industries, manufacturing, and foundational industries, in-depth recruitment consultations were conducted, and on-site, 1:1 interviews were held along with specialized legal consultation booths regarding visa changes after employment (E-7, etc.) to focus on resolving participants' practical difficulties.

Analysis of the fair's results showed that both participating companies and international students expressed high satisfaction. Many international students confirmed the possibility of employment connections through on-site interviews, and company representatives evaluated it as efficient to meet and verify candidates who possess Korean language skills and major knowledge. This suggests that the government's policy direction to actively attract foreign talent in response to population decline and regional extinction crises is leading to practical employment matching on the ground.

To continue these achievements, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education decided to specify future schedules and broaden the scope of support. First, they plan to expand employment support events, which have been concentrated in the metropolitan area, to nationwide regions in collaboration with local hub universities and municipalities. Through this, they aim to establish a virtuous cycle structure where local companies hire excellent international students who graduated from local universities, leading to 'local study-employment-settlement'.

Additionally, to assist international students and companies that find it difficult to attend offline fairs due to physical distance, they decided to significantly enhance the online matching platform functionality and establish a system that provides continuous recruitment information. A government official emphasized, "We will regularize job fairs to ensure that international students can settle stably as members of Korean society after completing their studies, and we will continuously improve visa and residency-related regulations tailored to international students."