(c) Overseas Koreans Agency

Vocational training is set to begin to help overseas Korean youth secure employment and settle in South Korea.

The Overseas Koreans Agency announced on the 24th that it held an opening ceremony for the "Overseas Korean Youth Employment Support Program" and has officially launched education courses aimed at strengthening the vocational capabilities and supporting the domestic employment and settlement of overseas Korean youth.

This program is the first of its kind to link Korean language education with vocational training, supporting overseas Korean youth in obtaining national certificates and achieving domestic employment and settlement. Reflecting the global rise in interest in K-Food and Korean cuisine, a large number of overseas Korean youth from Latin American countries such as Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, and Paraguay are participating. A total of overseas Korean youth from 12 countries, including China, Russia, and Kazakhstan, are also participating to learn professional skills in South Korea and take on employment challenges.

The curriculum spans a total of 10 months, operating concurrently with intensive Korean language education and hands-on vocational training in Korean culinary arts, confectionery, and baking. Korean language education focuses on enhancing proficiency not only for daily life but also for workplace environments after completing the course. Vocational training aims to impart professional skills in Korean culinary arts, confectionery, and baking, as well as obtaining national certificates, with plans to connect trainees to relevant employment fields upon completion.

The Overseas Koreans Agency plans to provide step-by-step support so that overseas Korean youth can enhance their Korean language skills, receive vocational training, obtain national certificates, and transition into employment and domestic settlement. Through this, the agency aims to establish a foundation for them to stably achieve self-reliance and settle down in South Korea.

"For overseas Korean youth to discover their potential in their motherland and grow into professional talents is meaningful not only for individual self-reliance but also for enhancing the diversity and vitality of our society," said Kim Kyung-hep, Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency. "Taking this program as an opportunity, we will actively support overseas Korean youth so that they can leverage their strengths to perform effectively in domestic industrial fields and further grow into talents connecting the Republic of Korea and their countries of residence."