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Better Notice System for International Students Required
By Yu Yajing, Guest Reporter
In order to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between Korean and foreign students, and to develop cooperation and exchange in the fields of education, science, culture, economy and trade between Korea and other countries, our university has set up various resources to aid international students and scholars in undertaking studies and research in Korean institutions of higher education. There are many Korean cultural experience programs and communication groups like “1+1 Buddy Buddy” for foreign students to adjust quickly to new circumstances with the help of Korean students. But how can information about these programs be effectively announced to foreign students? You are maybe thinking of websites or bulletin boards. Yes, but how can the foreign students who do not know Korean read them?
Certainly, there are many posters put up in English or Chinese for foreign students, but sometimes it is easy to miss some important information if it is posted in Korean. There is a new Korean language test called the OK-Test (Occupation Korean Test) which was offered to people whose mother language is not Korean, but it is not widely announced to those concerned. The announcement of its introductory session was posted on the bulletin board of the library, but only four Chinese students joined the session. In fact, it is a great chance for those who are interested in getting a job in big enterprises if they get a good score on the test. However, if it isn’t properly announced to foreign students, how can they know that this kind of opportunity exists? If it had been publicized in multiple languages or posted on websites frequented by foreign students, we could have seen a bigger audience of foreign students at the session.
There are many policies and programs set up especially for foreign students such as the Foreign Students Recruitment Fair, where we can get lots of information about employment. However, information about the Fair is always posted in Korean so that unhelpful for students who cannot use the Korean language very well. Also, the situation is the same when students clubs recruit freshmen every semester.  Foreign students who are not good at Korean lose many chances to get closer to Korean students, and Korean students would maybe lose the channels to communicate with international students.
The international students have more and more prevalent at our university. How can an international student live a more comfortable and colorful campus life in Korea, especially as a new comer? And how can we make a close bond among international students? I think we should make more of an effort to set up an international students’ union or a website, and also advance the communication between Korean students and international students.
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