High living costs, lack of classes in English and language barriers cited


Studying abroad was once an essential university experience for Korean students, but the tables have turned with some 100,000 foreign students now seeking higher education here.

But as universities fight to lure foreign students to their universities as a way to globalize their own students, schools are coming up short in accommodating their needs.

Earlier this month the Korea International Students Support Association brought to light some of the biggest issues for students from all over the world studying here.

At the Open Forum on Policy Development for International Students, the high cost of living in Korea was the biggest complaint, followed by poor accommodation, expensive health care and cumbersome cell phone registration.

After interviewing 80 foreigners here, both the lack of variety of classes in Korean and English, and of student resources and information for foreigners also made the list.

“There are not that many English lectures and even in English lectures the professor would really prefer to speak Korean and they speak Korean a lot,” said a French student at Seoul National University.

“He will sometimes speak Korean for five or 10 minutes with the other students and you don’t know, and then he will give only a one-minute translation,” said the student, who declined to be named.

A business student echoed other issues listed by the association.

“We have a lot of problems buying food; there are not a lot of translations even on campus. Even the buses are only in Korean.”

And there were other issues raised by students that didn’t make the association’s list.

Some students wished universities here would consider the dietary needs of other religions.

“(With) eating I have a problem,” said Shukria, a Muslim student at SNU, who must follow strict dietary rules such as eating Halal meat, prepared in accordance with Islamic tradition.

“I can make something at home but then I cannot share a lot of things with my (Korean) friends,” she said highlighting that the only time her busy friends can gather is during meals.

“Only certain places can we get vegetarian food,” said one Hindu graduate student from India.

Considering that even prisons for foreigners here offer both a western style meal and an Islamic selection for its prisoner population, some question why a top university cannot.

Students, mainly from Asian countries, also reported being ostracized by Korean students.

“If I do a (group) project with them (Korean students) they had a problem when I did the power point presentation,” said Feruza Buranova, a sophomore at Yonsei University.

Buranova said she was asked to redo her presentation several times by her Korean peers, without offering help.

“They don’t want to understand me they just want to do it (group projects) with Koreans and not foreigners,” said the 23-year-old from Uzbekistan.

Laura recounted how her Chinese classmates felt discrimination when they met Korean students.

“(Korean partners) were not mad but they weren’t happy at all that they couldn’t speak English although it was a more of a ‘meet Korean people and practice Korean’ thing,” she said.

The Swedish exchange student at Yonsei University was referring to a buddy system where foreign students are partnered up with Korean students to introduce Korea, its culture and language.

“Even when you speak to them in Korean they would continue to speak to you in English. I sometimes get that maybe people just want to talk to me to practice their English,” said a 21-year-old European exchange student at Seoul National University.

Other students experienced similar feelings.

“To be honest, I feel that most Koreans prefer whites,” said Miguel, a Filipino-American exchange student at Seoul National University.

Even verbal abuse can be a problem.

“When I’m eating a meal or talking to my friends, I have heard on numerous occasions someone cursing at me in the background,” said a Korean-Japanese student at Yonsei University.

“They don’t say it (profanity) to me directly but they say it within my earshot,” he said, adding that the experience really hurt and bothered him.

However, most students were quick to say that most issues were minor and that, overall, university students here are quick to help when they can.

“People treat me nicely here. People in Korea are very nice,” said 20-year-old Ashwini Ann Bavidson, a Malaysian exchange student at Yonsei University.

Shukria stressed that for the most part, she was happy here and that enrolling in the university was a conscious choice.

“I cannot say that the university has to do this and that because if I don’t want it I’ll not come,” said the 22-year-old.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)