Bishkek, July 10, 2026. /Kabar/. The number of Kyrgyz citizens pursuing higher education in South Korea is steadily increasing each year, South Korean Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Kim Kwang-jae told at the meeting with media representatives.
According to him, in 2024, the number of students from Kyrgyzstan studying at Korean universities reached 2,002. He emphasized that this figure has already exceeded the number of students from neighboring Kazakhstan, who also chose South Korea for their studies.
"Representatives of Korean universities note that young people from Kyrgyzstan are adapting to the country very quickly. This is largely due to the similar worldviews of our people," says the head of the diplomatic mission.
This high level of adaptation is also facilitated by the fact that Kyrgyzstanis traditionally hold the highest level of Korean language proficiency among CIS countries. According to the ambassador, our schoolchildren and students regularly demonstrate excellent preparation, consistently winning prizes at a prestigious international competition held annually in South Korea.
These competitions are held in three main categories: schoolchildren, students, and Korean language teachers. For a long time, competitors from Kyrgyzstan held the absolute lead in almost all categories among participants from CIS countries.
However, with the recent launch of similar competition in Uzbekistan, competition in the region has increased dramatically. This year, Uzbek participants took the lead, while representatives from Kyrgyzstan took a respectable second place.
Nevertheless, Kim Kwangjae emphasized that Kyrgyzstani youth's interest in the Korean language and culture remains high.