Development of the world economy has promoted an internationalization of the global higher education market. Due to the recent decrease in the school-age population and oversupply in the higher education market, universities in Korea and worldwide are making arduous efforts to attract students from all over the world. Along with the internationalization, the number of international students in Korea already reached 84,891 in 2014. Amongst them, Chinese students account for 60% of the overall international student population in Korea. Likewise, Korean students also represent the largest share of the total international student population recently enrolled in the educational institutions in China. Korea and China are essential partners for each other in their education service trade.
A marked feature of the recent global educational market is the accelerating increase in the movement of students within the bloc. Currently, China is not only the greatest sender of students to Korea but also a rival in attracting students from other Asian countries. The purpose of this study is to explore the new directions for policy making to expand the number of international students in Korea by comparing both the paths of development up to the present taken by Korea and China for education of international students and the major educational systems of the two countries. More specifically, to boost the bid to attract more students from overseas countries, this paper carried out a comparative analysis of education for international students in the two countries, focusing on some of the key policies and systems on education of foreign students. Particular attention was paid to scholarship programs, health insurance schemes, part-time employment and general employment policies. Based upon the results of the comparative analysis, this study proposed a strategy to induce more international students into Korea.