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Universities and the Local Community Grow Together: Busan Reaches 22,000 International Students Opening of the “Integrated Support Hub for International Students”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will hold an opening ceremony today (the 10th) at 2:00 p.m. on the second floor of the National Pension Service Busan Building in Yeonje-gu for the “Busan Integrated Support Hub for International Students (Study Busan Hub, hereinafter referred to as the Integrated Support Hub),” which provides comprehensive support for international students.

The opening ceremony marks an occasion to bring together international student support programs that have previously been implemented separately by individual universities and to officially declare a transition to an “integrated support system for international students,” jointly pursued by the city, universities, and related organizations.

Prior to the main ceremony, a roundtable meeting with international students will be held to introduce key support programs, along with a session for sharing vivid experiences and advice on settling in Busan through conversations with senior international students.

The Integrated Support Hub was planned to foster customized global talent through cooperation between the local community and universities, based on the Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE), which was launched in 2025.

Following consultations among universities last year, Silla University and Dong-Eui Institute of Technology were selected as the lead universities for operating the hub. Subsequently, the Busan Global City Foundation participated as a regional innovation organization to build an integrated support platform.

At the opening ceremony, Busan Metropolitan City will proclaim the One-Team Busan vision in preparation for the era of 30,000 international students and will conclude memorandums of understanding with 11 organizations across key fields including employment, healthcare, finance, and visas to ensure practical integrated support.

Centered on Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan RISE Innovation Institute, the Busan Global City Foundation, and the lead universities (Silla University and Dong-Eui Institute of Technology), participating organizations include the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Busan Management & Employers Association (employment), Busan Bank (finance), the Busan Immigration Office (social integration), and Dong-Eui Medical Center and Dong-Eui University (healthcare). Together, they pledge to provide comprehensive support covering the entire process from entry into Korea to employment and long-term settlement.

The main areas of integrated support include financial services such as bank account opening using foreign passports and financial counseling for international students; healthcare services including medical fee discounts, multilingual medical consultations, and education; employment support through identifying internship demand, discovering employment opportunities, and building an employment database; and visa-related support through the operation of social integration programs to promote local settlement by international students.

The Integrated Support Hub will be established on the second floor of the National Pension Service Busan Building, a highly accessible location, and will consist of a one-stop consultation area with six open booths, a global lounge serving as a community space, two classrooms, and an operations office.

In particular, four professional counselors fluent in major languages of international students’ countries of origin—including English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Russian (including Uzbek)—will be stationed on a full-time basis to provide customized support in areas closely related to daily life, such as employment, visas, and finance.

Going forward, the Integrated Support Hub will gradually implement initiatives such as joint overseas recruitment fairs organized by university consortia; educational programs including regular TOPIK courses, Korean language learning mentoring, and local cultural experience programs; operation of international student communities; ultra-regional job fairs; and surveys and policy research on international student settlement support.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The Integrated Support Hub is Busan’s core engine as we prepare to move beyond the era of 20,000 international students and into the era of 30,000,” adding, “By faithfully implementing the agreements concluded today, we will complete Busan as a ‘study destination city’ where global talent can learn, work, and settle.”