Weekly Korea News Snippet – September 7 to September 16, 2025

Dear readers,
You may have missed my regular blog post with Weekly Korea News. The reason is the fact that I am away for a holiday trip to The Netherlands from September 5th, including an exciting weekend to the UK with my all time metal detecting buddies. We went to England for the yearly detecting festival Detectival which this year took place in North Hertfordshire, near to Luton in the south east of the country.

The area itself is steeped in history: rolling fields that have been cultivated and lived on since Roman times, with traces of Celtic tribes and early medieval settlements. Walking across those acres with a detector in hand, one feels almost literally in touch with the footsteps of history. The ground has kept its secrets for centuries, and every signal may reveal a coin, a brooch, or even a tool once used in daily life hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Metal detecting is not only about “finding treasure.” It’s the excitement of discovery, the patience of scanning field after field, and the joy of connecting with the past in the most tangible way possible. Sharing that hobby with friends makes it even more special. The weather was perfect, the 21 fields — some 1,000 acres in total — were inviting, and indeed we found wonderful Roman, Celtic, and early medieval artefacts. A surely fantastic weekend.

And the story continues: my detector will travel with me to Ameland, the island where I am spending part of my holiday. Later, I hope to explore the rules and possibilities for detecting in Korea as well. Who knows — perhaps in cooperation with local museums or historic foundations, so that any artefacts found can be preserved and studied.

Now I’m back in The Netherlands for another two weeks of holiday on Ameland and visits to friends. But I will also have the opportunity to meet professionals in Education and work on the establishment of my expanding network. In fact, next week I will be in Utrecht for talks with a possible partner regarding a study trip to Korea for Dutch education professionals in spring 2026 — a project that I’m very excited about. More on that soon!

So that’s why. But now I’m back behind my laptop for a moment and of course things went on in Korea while I was abroad. Here’s an update:

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Education

• New Education Minister & Deputy Prime Minister
  Choi Kyo-jin formally took office as Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education on September 11. His priorities include protecting teachers, rolling out a high-school credit system, strengthening digital literacy (from elementary upwards), balancing development among regional universities, and paying more attention to student mental health.
• Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) 2026 – Applications Open
  The 2026 GKS program for undergraduate international students is now open. It will select 280 students from 71 countries under both the embassy track and university track. Deadlines run between mid-September and late October, with final selection in January 2026.
• Rising Concern: School Violence & Bullying
  A recent survey shows that the rate of students experiencing school violence has increased to 2.5% for 2025 — the highest since the survey began in 2013. Elementary school students are worst affected (5.0 %) followed by middle school (2.1 %) and high school (0.7 %). This is a serious issue. I will prepare a special blog post soon that dives deeper into the problem of violence in Korean primary and secondary education, as it deserves a more detailed discussion.
• International Education Cooperation & Projects
  Korea is also funding a US$15 million digital education project in Egypt, focused on digital transformation, Korean language learning, and development of school content.

Busan & Tourism / Culture

• Festival Shiwol 2025
  Busan’s major convergence festival Festival Shiwol is scheduled for September 21 to October 3, 2025. It will combine culture, technology, arts, innovation, music, film, exhibitions, and business forums.
• Tourism & Transportation in Busan
  To accommodate international visitors, Busan Metropolitan City signed an MoU with Uber Taxi. Uber will promote the festival abroad, offer coupons to ticket-holders, and provide language translation support in the app for smoother taxi rides.
• Autumn Outlook & Events
  Autumn is a beautiful season in Busan, and with Festival Shiwol plus the 30th Busan International Film Festival opening September 17, the city is set for a burst of tourism and international attention.

Business Development & Opportunities

• Government’s Push for Business & Innovation
  The Lee Jae-myung administration is emphasizing a market-oriented government with reduced regulatory obstacles. Initiatives include a national fund of around KRW 100 trillion (US$70-75 billion) for strategic industries such as AI, regulatory reform, and better support for corporate activity.
• Education as a Strategic Asset
  With the GKS program expanding, digital education abroad, and growing international cooperation, education is being leveraged as both soft power and an economic driver. Opportunities are opening for partners in EdTech, regional universities, and international student services.
• Soft-Landing & Partner Search
  With scholarship students coming in, tourism around events, and regional universities strengthening, there is room for international entities to partner: universities, language schools, or businesses seeking a soft landing in Korea.

Must-Know Korea Highlights

• Educational Resource Imbalance
  One of Choi Kyo-jin’s goals is to reduce Seoul-centric concentration by improving conditions in the regions.
• Digital & AI in Education
  Policies around AI textbooks and digital literacy are moving from pilot projects to mainstream adoption.
• International Students & GKS
  Embassy track applications for GKS are highly competitive; the Study in Korea portal briefly experienced system issues during launch week.
• Social Issues in Schools
  Rising school violence, mental health issues, and teacher turnover are being acknowledged, which may lead to new policies and demand for support programs.

Sources

• mk.co.kr – Education minister policy priorities
• english.moe.go.kr – GKS 2026 details
• english.news.cn – School violence survey
• techafricanews.com – Education cooperation with Egypt
• busan.go.kr – Festival Shiwol, Uber Taxi partnership
• en.wikipedia.org – Busan International Film Festival
• govmedia.com – Business & innovation policy