More and more students from the Republic of Korea (ROK) are choosing Shenyang, capital of north China's Liaoning Province, as their favored destination to study abroad.
According to Liaoning University in Shenyang, half of its overseas students come from the ROK, and the number has increased by 30 percent every year since 1999.
Kwan Soo Kim, who is studying in the School of Overseas Students of the university, said 17 out of the 24 students in his class are from the ROK.
"Most ROK students in China study in the northern cities such as Beijing and Shenyang, because the local spoken language there is closer to standard mandarin Chinese, and the prices are lower than in the south," Kim said.
Planning to start a business with his friends in China, Kim is taking a year to study the Chinese language.
"With the trend of global employment, China's fast-growing economy entices many overseas students to come," said Cui Li, head of the school.
Among the 600 foreign enterprises in Shenyang, 47 percent are funded by ROK business people, which hire most of the ROK students in the Liaoning University. Those who go back to the ROK also have a language advantage in finding a job, as many ROK companies have close ties with China, according to Cui.
"There are nearly 1,000 ROK students in Shenyang, an indication that more and more people from the ROK are showing interest in China," said Cha Jong Hoon, head of the ROK overseas students association in Shenyang.
(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2002)
