Circulating East to East

Corresponding Author:
Se Woong Lee, University of Missouri, 202 Hill Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. 
Email: [e-mail]
697540
JSI
XXX10.1177/1028315317697540Journal of Studies in International Education
Lee
research-article
2017

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Lee 
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(OECD) 2015 annual report, not only has the total number of students pursuing an 
education across national borders doubled from 2 million in 2000 to 4 million in 2013, 
but the list of countries from which those students originate has also become more 
diverse (OECD, 2015). Asian students represent 53% of all international students 
worldwide. Although many of these students continue to seek educational opportuni-
ties in English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, 
Australia, and Canada (OECD, 2015), over the past 10 to 15 years, many Asian stu-
dents have begun to circulate within Asia. Considering cultural affinities, geographical 
convenience, affordability, and similarities across systems of education, increases in 
inter-Asian circulation are unsurprising (OECD, 2015). As Asian countries have 
emerged as new international education players, the share of the international student 
market choosing the United States as a destination for tertiary education has dropped 
from 23% in 2000 to 19% in 2012. By contrast, by 2012, the share of international 
students who chose an Asian country as an educational destination had grown by more 
than 140% compared with 2000 (OECD, 2015).
Among countries that have participated in this growing trend, South Korea (here-
after referred to as Korea) has benefited the most from this change. Korea has long 
been recognized as a country that sends its students abroad; however, among OECD 
countries, Korea has grown the fastest in terms of attracting international students 
for tertiary education, increasing from 3,963 in 2000 to 86,878 in 2012, approxi-
mately 43 times greater in slightly more than a decade (Korean Education 
Development Institute [KEDI], 2010; Cho & Palmer, 2013). The vast majority of 
international students fueling this increase originated in neighboring Asian coun-
tries, particularly China. In 2012, 89% of the international student body in Korea 
comprised Asian students; of this portion, Chinese students composed 71% (OECD, 
2015; Sugimura, 2009).
Despite these substantial numbers, limited research has been conducted to under-
stand why there has been such an influx of Chinese students into Korea, which, in 
addition to being a non-English-speaking country, has a long track record of sending 
students abroad (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology [MEST], 2008). To 
explore this trend, this study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative 
research methods. Theoretically, this study utilized Altbach’s (1998) push–pull model 
to explore the factors affecting students’ choices to study abroad. Notably, however, 
rather than merely adopting the traditional push–pull model, this study expanded on its 
framework by conducting in-depth, in-person interviews to capture the unique eco-
nomic, social, and political forces within China that push students to study in a neigh-
boring country to pursue their education. Simultaneously, the study also focuses on 
identifying distinct factors within Korea that draw students. Based on the key themes 
generated from qualitative research and previous literature, this study developed a 
survey to identify these factors and measure their significance in influencing or deter-
mining a student’s choice to study in Korea.
Considering these approaches and perspectives, the following research questions 
guided the study:

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Journal of Studies in International Education 21(2)