Raised abroad, rooted in Korea: Immigrant students tackle language barrier, uncertain futures

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Raised abroad, rooted in Korea: Immigrant students tackle language barrier, uncertain futures

Published: 06 Aug. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 07 Aug. 2025, 13:37

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Hoang Yen Nhi, 14, far left, and her classmates attend a Korean class at the Seoul Global Youth Education Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on July 29. [PARK SANG-MOON]

When 14-year-old Hoang Yen Nhi first learned she would be moving to Korea, she was thrilled — it was her very first time traveling abroad.

Yen Nhi was born and raised in Thai Binh, a northern city in Vietnam, for her entire life before coming to Seoul. But she already felt connected to Korea through her love of K-pop, especially songs by her favorite girl group, aespa.

“I came to Korea in June last year with my mom,” said Yen Nhi, who also goes by her Korean name, Shin Ji-soo, in fluent Korean during a recent interview at the Seoul Global Youth Education Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul.

“Compared to Vietnam’s hot weather, Korea’s weather felt so nice,” she added with a shy smile, recalling her first impressions of the country.

She hadn’t spoken a word of Korean before arriving. But learning the language was essential — not only for everyday life, but to continue her education in a country where public schooling is conducted entirely in Korean. According to the Ministry of Education, students with immigrant backgrounds are broadly classified into two groups: those from international marriages — in which one parent is Korean — and those from foreign households. Yen Nhi belongs to the first group.

Photos of students at the Seoul Global Youth Education Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [PARK SANG-MOON]

The number of students like Yen Nhi, who came to Korea during their school years, has nearly doubled over the past decade from 5,602 in 2014 to 10,896 in 2023, according to the Education Ministry.

These figures, however, include only those enrolled in elementary, middle or high schools and those from international marriage households. The actual number is likely much higher when including older students and children of ethnic Koreans or those whose parents have permanent residency.

Academic gaps

Like many students who arrive in Korea during their school years, Yen Nhi has struggled with the language barrier and with adapting to an unfamiliar education system.

To study at a Korean public school, Yen Nhi had to repeat a year. At 14, she would typically be in her first year of middle school, but she is currently enrolled in sixth grade, the last year of elementary school in Korea.

Student works on display at the Seoul Global Youth Education Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [PARK SANG-MOON]

“The language is so difficult,” Yen Nhi said. Because of this, she chooses to spend her time at the Seoul Global Youth Education Center instead of joining after-school clubs.

At the Seoul Global Youth Education Center, Yen Nhi joins hundreds of students between the ages of 9 and 24 who, like her, arrived in Korea during their school years. The center, established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and operated by nonprofit Migrant Center Friend, offers Korean language classes as well as more lighthearted courses — like K-pop dance and board games — to help newcomers adapt to the local culture.

“Math is easy,” she said. “But Korean literature and language classes are so hard.” In other subjects like humanities, she relies on visual aids to keep up.

Yen Nhi comes to the center from Monday to Saturday to study Korean.

“Most parents send their children here to learn Korean before they enter school,” said Shin Hye-young, director of the Seoul Global Youth Education Center.

“But some students face difficulties obtaining the necessary documents from schools in their home countries. In those cases, they often have no choice but to take the high school equivalency exam to qualify for university.”

Limited support, but growing need

The center is one of only a few such facilities in Seoul, alongside institutions like the Rainbow School, run by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the Seoul Foreign Resident Center, according to Shin. On an average day, the Global Youth Education Center sees 100 to 130 students.

At the center, about 65 percent of the center’s students come from China. While a high percentage of individuals from the same nationality may at times hinder language acquisition, it offers valuable emotional support, Shin emphasized.

“Having peers from the same background provides a kind of psychological comfort,” she said.

To support adjustment, the center also offers programs such as counseling and educational sessions for parents on child care.

Maintaining legal status is another challenge these young people face.

The nonimmigrant F-1 visa and the family-dependent F-3 visa, which these students typically hold, must be renewed every one to two years. Some enter Korea on short-term C-3-8 visas for overseas Koreans, which permit stays of up to 90 days. Those who do not obtain a stable visa after graduating high school are often left with no option but to enroll in a university to remain in the country long term under the D-2 student visa, according to a 2023 study by the National Youth Policy Institute.

Li Xuanming, left, and Hoang Yen Nhi pose for a photo after an interview at the Seoul Global Education Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on July 29. [PARK SANG-MOON]

For 17-year-old Li Xuanming who moved from Shanghai, adjusting to life in Korea was relatively easy.

“As an ethnic Korean, I speak the language with my family and visited Korea often growing up,” she said. She now attends an overseas Chinese school in Korea, which made it easier to make friends who speak her native language.

Still, the transition wasn’t without its emotional challenges.

“It was lonely at first,” she said. “I want to make Korean friends, but I haven’t had the opportunity yet.”

She occasionally misses the conveniences of life in Shanghai — like the ease of booking restaurant reservations — but says she’s grateful for the opportunities she has in Korea, particularly the chance to apply to Korean universities through a special admissions track for foreign nationals.

Facing the future in Korea

For many immigrant youths, the future can feel uncertain. According to a 2016 study by the National Youth Policy Institute, 51 percent of students who arrived in Korea during their school years said that figuring out their future path was their greatest concern.

But for both Yen Nhi and Xuanming, their experiences in Korea helped them discover new academic goals.

“After talking with many friends who were struggling to adjust, I became interested in counseling,” said Xuanming. “I want to major in psychology.”

Li Xuanming walks into a classroom at the Seoul Global Youth Education Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on July 29. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Yen Nhi also found a dream she hadn’t imagined back home, inspired by the hit Korean drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (2022).

“Woo Young-woo is so awesome,” she said, her eyes lighting up, referring to the titular character. “I want to become a lawyer, just like her.”

Now on an F-1 visa, Yen Nhi has applied for naturalization and is slowly building a life in Korea.

Still, even as she looks ahead, her heart remains tied to home. Since arriving last year, she’s returned to Vietnam once and is already thinking about another visit.

“I miss Vietnam, especially my relatives,” she said, her voice softening as she recalled her hometown.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]