KOTRA, KIRD join forces to attract overseas talent for advanced industries

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korea Institute of Research and Development for Professional Human Resources (KIRD) signed an MOU Thursday to attract and support the settlement of outstanding overseas talent in advanced industries and science and technology fields.

KOTRA President Kang Gyeong-seong and KIRD President Bae Tae-min agreed at the signing ceremony to swiftly identify and recruit top overseas talent that the advanced industry sector urgently needs, and to help those individuals settle stably in South Korea.

KOTRA, which operates an overseas network spanning 86 countries, has since last year been conducting talent attraction roadshows in advanced industry hubs across the United States and Europe. It also runs the K-Tech Pass system, a qualification certificate issued to outstanding overseas talent who take up employment in South Korea's advanced industries.

The K-Tech Pass bundles Top-Tier Visa issuance with a package of settlement support benefits. It targets overseas professionals at the senior engineer level or above who can lead the planning of advanced industry projects and drive technology development.

KIRD has also operated a full-cycle settlement support project for overseas research personnel since last year, handling Top-Tier Visa recommendations for science and technology professionals working at research institutes. The Top-Tier Visa regime grants residency visas to qualifying talent and their families, and shortens the required period of stay for permanent residency eligibility to three years.

The two agencies plan to combine KOTRA's overseas network and talent recruitment experience with KIRD's expertise in science and technology career development to strengthen talent acquisition. They agreed to cooperate on four specific areas: attracting outstanding overseas talent in advanced industries and science and technology fields and operating the Top-Tier Visa system; supporting the settlement of overseas talent and building research and career development networks; connecting foreign nationals who have earned science and engineering degrees in South Korea to career development opportunities and industry workplaces; and attracting and utilizing outstanding overseas Korean talent.

"Attracting outstanding overseas talent and supporting their stable settlement are key factors that determine the nation's science and technology competitiveness," KIRD President Bae said. "By combining KIRD's expertise in career development for science and technology professionals at home and abroad with KOTRA's global talent recruitment infrastructure, we will contribute to South Korea's rise as a powerhouse of science and technology talent."

"The race for technology supremacy is becoming a race for talent supremacy, and securing outstanding people is the core of fostering advanced industries," KOTRA President Kang said. "We will do our utmost to combine KOTRA's overseas network and K-Tech Pass operational experience with KIRD's talent development expertise and Top-Tier Visa operational experience, so that companies can effectively secure the advanced talent they need."