A KEDI study led by Cha Jung-yoon finds that Korea’s foreign student numbers rose to about 208,000 last year, up from 49,000 in 2007, but the share majoring in natural sciences and engineering declined while humanities, social sciences and arts grew; master’s and PhD enrollments in science, engineering and medicine also declined, whereas humanities and arts increased. Non-capital universities saw a higher share of foreign students and a rise in non-degree programs to 45%, suggesting that increases in overall numbers do not imply longer stays in non-capital regions. The report notes a mismatch between policy aims to attract highly skilled workers and the actual distribution and behavior of foreign students, highlighting tensions among central ministries, local governments and universities.