Korea is high on the brain drain list

donga.com [english donga]: "Korea is one of the countries that are shown to suffer the most rapid brain drain according to the brain drain index, created by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland. Korea scored 7.53 (with zero meaning total drain and 10 meaning total influx) in 1996, ranking fourth, but our nation ranked 38th among 58 countries with a score of 4.91 last year."


this fact was a surprise to me. Here I thought that people came to US universities because of their reputation alone.

"...Many countries are struggling to attract brains. The U.S. government spent $1 million on airing TV commercials in China and India to lure foreign students to U.S universities this year. China lures talented people by offering world-class wages, housing, cars and income tax reduction to talented human resources from abroad. India encourages domestic brains in the U.S and Europe to come back by acknowledging dual citizenship."

...The number of Korean students studying at foreign universities has hit a record high of 217,000. A whopping 46 percent of Korean professionals with a doctor’s degree in science and engineering in the U.S. settle there. It is difficult to attract smart people from abroad with the Korean government’s regulation making universities equal and public education policy. Globally-acknowledged brains are also reluctant to come back to Korea, for the lowering quality of its public education system cannot satisfy their children. The government should reform its public education system and draw foreign world-class universities."


it is worth noting that Fulbright sends Korean students to study at US universities but requires that they return to Korea for at least two years after finishing their degrees.

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