The View
Heading East
KOR-JPN as Anchors of the Global East and Beyond
As students start looking eastward for their education, joint efforts from old rivals could lead the charge for the region.
By Kyuseok (KS) Kim, Center Director, IES Seoul
[Korea's] international student population has surged past 200,000.
A quiet revolution in student flows has been taking shape over the past decade.
For decades, many ambitious students across Asia largely shared the same dream: to study in the Global North. A degree abroad almost always meant heading West. That pattern is now shifting. Increasingly, students are turning East, as South Korea and Japan transform from major senders of students into destinations in their own right.
This eastward turn signals the rise of a “Global East,” with Seoul and Tokyo emerging as epicenters for global talent. This trend brings strategic weight, social significance, and a dose of competition to international higher education.
The Regional Turn: Students Staying Closer to Home
A quiet revolution in student flows has been taking shape over the past decade. More students from East Asia are choosing to study in neighboring Asian countries rather than in distant Western ones. In fact, a 2024 British Council analysis found that between 2013 and 2020, the number of East Asian students pursuing education within Asia grew faster than the number heading to major English-speaking nations.
South Korea illustrates this transformation vividly. Its international student population has surged past 200,000, the highest in 25 years and more than double the figure a decade ago. Chinese students account for over 30 percent, reflecting deep educational ties, while Vietnam has quickly closed the gap with a sharp rise in enrollments.
Central Asia has also emerged as an important source, with Uzbekistan and Mongolia now among the top five sending countries. Japan is also experiencing significant growth in international enrollments. Like Korea, the majority of its students come from neighboring countries, led by China and followed by Vietnam, Nepal, South Korea, and Myanmar. According to JASSO, Japan hosted about 150,000 students from East Asia in 2022, making it the region’s second-largest destination.
This intra-Asia mobility is partly fueled by simple geography and economics. Even multilateral initiatives have a role: programmes such as the Campus Asia Program, ASEAN International Mobility for Students or exchanges under the Asia Pacific Rim University help create a culture of regional mobility.
Moreover, for many families, sending a child to a neighboring country is less costly and logistically easier than sending them halfway around the world. But the trend runs deeper than convenience; it reflects a changing perception of where quality education and opportunities can be found.
Seoul and Tokyo’s Growing Magnetism
South Korea and Japan attract students not only for their degrees but also for their cultural appeal. The Korean Wave, from K-pop and dramas to fashion and cuisine, makes studying in Seoul feel like stepping into a global cultural hub. Japan offers a parallel allure through anime, J-pop, and its blend of tradition and modernity.
Universities actively market this excitement, knowing that student life in Tokyo or Seoul promises a vibrancy that rivals Western destinations. At the same time, skepticism about academic quality has diminished. Both countries now boast universities ranked globally, respected for research, faculty and facilities.
Their strong, innovation-driven economies add to this appeal, offering students the chance to study in nations that are global leaders in technology, industry and cultural exports. Just as important, South Korea and Japan are stable democracies with open societies, giving students confidence that their academic freedoms and social experiences will be protected.
Equally important are practical considerations. Tuition and living costs, while not negligible, are often lower than in Western capitals, and government scholarships ease the financial burden. Expanded English-medium programmes reduce language barriers, allowing students to complete degrees in fields like engineering or international relations while still gaining cultural immersion and local language skills. Add to this safe cities, efficient transportation and familiar communal values, and it is clear why parents and students alike see Korea and Japan as reassuring, high-value alternatives to traditional destinations.
From Global North to Global East
Beyond the tangible appeals, there is a larger narrative playing out. Countries such as South Korea and Japan are actively positioning themselves as part of a “Global East”; an emerging network of education powers offering an alternative to the old dominance of the West.
The term “Global East” is not yet as common as “Global North” or “Global South,” but it captures the idea of East Asia’s wealthy, developed nations stepping onto the world stage of higher education leadership.
South Korea’s goal of attracting 300,000 foreign students by 2027 and Japan’s target of 400,000 by 2033 exemplify ambitious national strategies that link internationalisation to economic revitalisation, demographic needs and global competitiveness. Both countries are expanding English-taught programmes, experimenting with diverse transnational education models and launching innovative initiatives that underscore Seoul and Tokyo’s determination to position themselves as premier destinations in the international education market.
Importantly, both Korea and Japan see this as a soft power strategy as well. Down the line, that translates into closer diplomatic and business relationships. In essence, the “Global East” is not about rejecting the West but about broadening the options, creating a more multipolar academic world where Seoul and Tokyo are mentioned in the same breath as Boston and Oxford when students discuss where the best opportunities lie.
The partnerships that Minerva University, often cited as one of the world’s most innovative institutions, has forged with both countries highlight the potential and strength of this trajectory.
Multi-dimensional Collaboration Beyond Campuses
Beyond campuses and ministries, non-university actors are driving this shift. Study abroad organisations, once focused mainly on sending US students to Europe or Latin America, are now expanding across East Asia. For example, in 2023, IES opened a new center in Seoul, reflecting growing US demand for Korea.
Its Tokyo Center, long established as a hub for students drawn to Japan’s culture and society, continues to anchor regional mobility. Together, the two centers act as twin gateways and a new Seoul–Tokyo multi-location programme that allows students to divide their studies between the two cities.
As a result, mobility is no longer only intra-Asian. Increasingly, students from North America and Europe are choosing Asia as their study-abroad destination. The number of Americans in South Korea and Japan has risen steadily over the past decade, fueled by the global pull of K-culture and J-culture and by the accessibility of innovative program offerings.
Education consultants and agents in various countries are also key players. In Vietnam and Uzbekistan, for example, local study-abroad agencies now prominently feature Korean and Japanese universities as prime options alongside Western schools. These on-the-ground agents have a big influence on student choices, and their promotion of Asian destinations has contributed to the surge in numbers.
What the Eastward Shift Means for Asia and the World
The rise of student mobility toward the Global East carries significant implications. Strategically, it marks a rebalancing of global influence, fostering new alliances and business ties within Asia while easing the region’s brain drain.
For the Global North, it is a clear warning: the long-standing monopoly on international students is weakening, compounded by policy shifts such as increased visa fees and tighter post-graduation employment rules. Over time, this heightened competition may push Western universities to deepen partnerships in Asia or sharpen the value of what makes their institutions unique.
Socially and culturally, classrooms in Seoul and Tokyo are becoming microcosms of Asia, where diversity can dismantle stereotypes and nurture empathy among neighbours. Yet integration also brings challenges, from language barriers and homesickness to historical prejudices. Over time, however, once-homogeneous societies are opening to multiculturalism, with universities, government agencies, study abroad providers, and education consultants working together to create pathways that put campuses at the forefront of this shift.
The broader impact extends to global higher education itself. The emergence of strong magnets in the East points to a more multipolar academic world, with knowledge production and innovation increasingly distributed across regions. This enriches global scholarship and ensures greater attention to issues central to developing Asia. For the wider Asia-Pacific, the shift strengthens regional connectivity, enabling countries to pool talent, resources, and perspectives in ways that bolster APAC’s role as a collective education powerhouse.
Ultimately, the shift is about more than education. For students, it expands choices and brings opportunity closer to home. For Asia, it offers pride and the chance to shape the future through talent and ideas. And for the world, it is a reminder that leadership in higher education belongs not to any dominant areas, but to those willing to pursue it with vision, openness, and excellence. As Seoul and Tokyo cement their place on the global education map, the message is unmistakable: the future of international higher education will not be defined by monopoly, but by the rise of a Global East ready to shape the world’s next generation of leaders.