Symposium at Yonsei discusses career opportunities for Asean students in Korea

Attendees of the Ride the Wave symposium at Yonsei University pose for a photo at the event on Saturday. [LEE TAE-HEE]

With more young adults from Southeast Asia seeking career opportunities in Korea, Asean governments are looking to make job-searching easier for their students in Korea.

To discuss necessary support for Asean students, representatives from the Indonesian and Cambodian embassies attended the Ride the Wave symposium hosted by the Yonsei-Indonesia Association at Yonsei University in Sinchon, western Seoul, on Saturday.

Speakers from companies interested in both Korean and Asean markets, such as Daewoong Pharmaceuticals, Indofood and Shopee, also attended the event.

"I request more advanced countries to provide education and job training programs to less developed nations through scholarships and exchange programs so the students can learn more skills and fulfill their career paths in the future," Lourn Saboeun, counselor and deputy chief of mission of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Seoul, said.

"Another area we need [help with] is youth networking, which allows Asean and Korean [young adults] to meet and exchange ideas to have more awareness of each other's culture and traditions."

Amid growing interest, foreign embassies in Korea are stepping in to provide more opportunities.

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul started the International Talent Pool Management program in June, offering internship opportunities for Indonesian students.

"We're mostly working with companies in the financial sector like Hana Bank, but we wish to go into as many fields as possible," Reza Mawasthama, director of Indonesia Investment Promotion Centre Seoul, said. "The response we've [been] getting [from companies] is very positive since they're companies that want to go into the Indonesian market, with our students helping with that."

He added, "We hope to also possibly extend the program to actual employment as well."

Starting this year, the embassy is partnering with Korean companies to provide Indonesian students with information on job openings at the companies. It will also provide information on the employee recruitment process in Korea.

Asean companies eyeing the Korean market are also looking to provide opportunities.

Indofood, a company based in Jakarta known for Indomie, is planning to enter the Korean market and may hire international students here.

Piloto, a Korean startup developing an application that monitors children's screen usage, is another.

Lee Da-young, the startup's CEO, said she was able to enter the Indonesian market with the help of her interns, who were Indonesian nationals.

"Banks Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs gave me the opportunity to meet Indonesian marketing interns, and one of them told me that there's a region in Indonesia that gave a chick to every child ages 8 and under to make them take their hands off their smartphone," Lee said. "I thought maybe our application would be better than a chicks, and that's how we got into the Indonesian market."

Lee is also looking for international students who can help provide insight into their home countries and open new markets for the startup.

"More and more Korean companies are looking to expand overseas, so it will be an advantage if you are familiar with the culture overseas and how people do businesses overseas," Darrell K. Sia, a retail specialist, said.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]