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Korean Ph.D. graduates head overseas on promise of all-round better conditions

Published: 08 May. 2025, 06:00

Korean STEM researchers are increasingly looking to China as a preferrable country to work in addition to the United States as companies there offer incentives not provided in Korea. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

“Once you master English, it’s almost inevitable — you get your Ph.D. and head overseas. The United States is still the top choice, but China has come a long way and draws a lot of interest too,” says a Ph.D. candidate in AI at KAIST.

“The salary is higher, but more than that, the career prospects and research environments are incredibly appealing,” the student said.

Korea’s top science and engineering talent are increasingly pursuing careers abroad.

While the United States remains a preferred destination for its strong research infrastructure, China’s rapid growth in technology has made it a competitive alternative. Korean researchers cite three major drawbacks to staying at home: career advancement, compensation and the overall research ecosystem.

A professor at a university near Seoul specializing in semiconductors shared a stark example.

“A Chinese display company once offered me a package deal including a high salary, housing, education for my kids and living expenses,” the researcher said on the condition of anonymity. “China is determined to bring in the talent it needs — to condense five years of research into one.”

The number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Ph.D. graduates in Korea has steadily increased, according to the Korean Educational Statistics Service (KESS). In 2023, 4,872 students earned doctorates in engineering and 7,664 in total across science and engineering, up 38.8 percent from 5,523 in 2014.

But despite there being more doctoral graduates, less and less are remaining in Korea.

Data from Rep. Kim Sung-won of the People Power Party shows that among KAIST STEM Ph.D. graduates, 89.5 percent found jobs in Korea in 2015. That number dropped to 77.6 percent in 2023. Meanwhile, overseas employment jumped from 5.9 percent to 16.9 percent over the same period.

Salary is the biggest factor. Levels.fyi, a salary comparison site, reports that Korean software engineers earn an average of 87 million won ($61,000) annually. Their counterparts in Silicon Valley make 366 million won, while Chinese developers take home around 105 million won. Experts also point to rigid workplace culture and limited opportunities for career development as reasons researchers leave.

To make matters worse, government-led cuts to research and development (R&D) funding have exacerbated the issue. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration slashed Korea’s 2024 R&D budget by 2.8 trillion won, or 11.3 percent, from the previous year to 21.9 trillion won. State-run research institutes and university labs were forced to cancel or delay ongoing projects due to a lack of funds.

“The budget for nurturing talent was cut by 83 percent, and overall R&D funding dropped by 20 percent,” said Lee Jong-hwan, a professor at Sangmyung University’s Department of Semiconductor and Display Engineering. “We lost the ability to maintain continuity in research.”

Although the 2025 R&D budget was restored to 24.8 trillion won, the damage lingers. “In a climate where medical schools already dominate in popularity, morale among science and engineering researchers has hit rock bottom,” Lee added.

Um Mi-jung, director of the Science and Technology Human Resources Policy Center, noted, “We shouldn’t be asking why people left Korea, but why anyone stayed.”

The Korean government has responded with initiatives like the “Top-Tier Visa,” aimed at easing residency for top global tech talent and their families. Stipends for graduate students in STEM are also being introduced. But experts warn these measures fall short.

“It’s not just about attracting new talent,” Um said. “We need to retain and nurture the talent we already have. Companies should invest in the growth of science and engineering professionals and showcase successful role models in the field.”

BY YI WOO-LIM [[email protected]]