Jeju expands job opportunities to bring overseas Korean youth into local workforce

As provincial communities grapple with demographic shifts and labor shortages, island authorities and national agencies are forging a new pathway to revitalization. The Overseas Koreans Agency announced a strategic partnership with Cheju Halla University to attract young ethnic Koreans from abroad, offering specialized education, professional training and long-term employment directly on the resort island. The initiative comes at a critical juncture for Jeju, which has suffered a sharp demographic turnaround after more than a decade of uninterrupted growth. Recent government data reveals a deepening net population loss driven primarily by an exodus of residents in their 20s searching for broader career and educational prospects in metropolitan Seoul. At the same time, regional economic pillars such as tourism, hospitality and health care face compounding labor deficits. The agreement, finalized earlier this month, establishes a collaborative framework designed to channel overseas Korean youth into these key sectors. Under the pact, the university will expand vocational programs tailored