Yonhap News Article:
”Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) Sets 2026 Budget at 109.2 Billion Won…New Program to Attract Young Overseas Talent to Korea”.

Posted to Paperslip on September 4th, 2025.
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“Latest News
Overseas Koreans Agency Sets 2026 Budget at 109.2 Billion Won…New Program to Attract Young Overseas Talent to Korea
Posted: 2025-09-04 13:39

Summary

  • Reporter: Kang Sung-chul

The Overseas Koreans Agency announced on September 4 that its 2026 budget has been approved by the Cabinet at 109.2 billion won, an increase of 2% (2.1 billion won) compared to this year.

Starting next year, the government will formally launch a program to attract and support young overseas Koreans to settle in Korea, with 3.1 billion won allocated for this new initiative.

Specifically, overseas Koreans who wish to study, work, or settle in Korea—such as university (or graduate) students and job seekers—will be selected to receive scholarships or funding for employment-related education and training.

This marks the first time that national talent policy has explicitly targeted the next generation of overseas Koreans amid Korea’s low birthrate and regional population decline, aiming to cultivate them as strategic partners for Korea’s development.

Additionally, the 7.8 billion won budget for Sakhalin Koreans and Korean adoptees, previously under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, will be transferred to the Overseas Koreans Agency starting next year.

  • The “Sakhalin Korean Permanent Return and Settlement Support Project” (7.7 billion won) provides settlement expenses and facility operating costs for Sakhalin Koreans who were unable to return to Korea after forced labor during Japanese occupation.

  • The “Support for Korean Adoptee Organizations” (100 million won) funds programs promoting understanding of Korean culture and networking among adoptees.

This centralizes previously dispersed overseas Korean-related budgets under the Overseas Koreans Agency, strengthening its role as a control tower for overseas Korean policy and improving project efficiency.

In addition, support for Korean language schools will increase by 900 million won, and 2.7 billion won has been allocated to establish a security control center within the agency to strengthen digital administrative infrastructure.

The government budget will be finalized through review and approval by the National Assembly.

Based on the finalized budget, the Overseas Koreans Agency plans next year to expand support for domestic settlement of overseas Koreans and their public diplomacy activities, contributing to the development of Korean communities abroad and national competitiveness.”

Contact: wakaru@yna.co.kr
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