Foreign nationals make up 0.7% of Korea's research workforce, visa hurdles persist

Foreign nationals make up a small percentage of Korea's research workforce, with only 0.7% of the total number of researchers being foreign. This is despite the country having a large number of corporate research and development organizations, with 72,224 registered in 2025. The low percentage of foreign researchers is attributed to visa hurdles and related administrative issues, which companies identify as the biggest obstacles to hiring foreign workers in the field. This could limit Korea's access to global talent and hinder its innovation and competitiveness.

Why it matters

Korea's companies are having trouble attracting foreign researchers due to visa hurdles. This lack of foreign talent may hinder the country's research and development capabilities.

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