North Chungcheong Province makes all out effort to attract tourists, international students

North Chungcheong Provincial Office said it is rolling out a series of policies aimed at attracting more foreign visitors, including improved transportation access, and expanded shopping, tourism and incentive programs.

Korea saw a record number of foreign visitors in 2025, with arrivals surpassing 18.7 million for the year, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Thanks to the nationwide rebound in inbound tourism, North Chungcheong Province also welcomed more than 100,000 visitors at the Cheongju International Airport last year, up about 40,000 from the previous year, reflecting its rapidly expanding inbound tourism potential.

The province plans to establish and operate a demand-responsive transportation system linking major transport hubs such as Cheongju International Airport and Osong Station with key tourist sites across the province. The initiative is designed to improve mobility for foreign travelers and encourage visitors to explore destinations within North Chungcheong Province.

The office said it will operate C-SQUARE, a travel lounge located at the Yongdu Temple Iron Flagpole Plaza in Cheongju, as a tourism hub. The facility will offer services including hands-on experiences with locally produced beauty products, information on regional cuisine and shopping, as well as luggage storage for international visitors.

To further strengthen shopping tourism, the province plans to expand the use of the C-Pass shopping voucher, aiming to boost local spending by foreign tourists.

Incentives to attract group tours will continue, including subsidies for charter flights targeting markets such as China.

The provincial office also plans to conduct aggressive overseas marketing by operating tourism promotion booths in key and emerging markets, while hosting briefings and familiarization tours for domestic and international travel industry officials to develop customized tourism products.

With inbound travel from China showing a sharp increase, the province will place particular emphasis on developing and promoting regional tourism packages linked to Cheongju International Airport.

To support longer stays, the provincial office recently revised its tourism promotion ordinance to provide incentives for private sector investment in tourism-related businesses, including accommodation facilities.

The office said the amendment marks the first such policy in Korea and is expected to enhance hospitality-related tourism infrastructure, improve visitor satisfaction and strengthen the province’s global tourism competitiveness.

“We will proactively leverage the expansion of the inbound tourism market and make full use of the strengths of Cheongju International Airport and Osong Station to build an accessible and attractive tourism environment,” the provincial office said in a press release.

“Our goal is to establish North Chungcheong as a must-visit destination for international travelers.”

International students

North Chungcheong Province also boasted the country’s fastest growth in international student enrollment last year.

According to data from the Korean Educational Development Institute, the number of international students in the province rose to 10,537 in 2025, nearly doubling from the previous year’s figure of 5,053, marking a 92.1 percent increase, the largest growth rate among Korea’s provinces.

The provincial office said attracting 10,000 international students generates an estimated 212.2 billion won ($155 million) in annual economic ripple effects for the regional economy.

The surge in student enrollment comes amid a broader rise in the province’s foreign resident population. As of the end of September, the number of registered foreign residents in the province reached 80,416, accounting for 4.81 percent of the province’s total population of 1,672,847, provincial data showed.

By visa status, nonprofessional employment visas (E-9) accounted for 25.7 percent of foreign residents, followed by overseas Koreans (F-4) at 20.2 percent and international students (D-2 and D-4) at 13.3 percent.

At the local level, Eumseong County and Jincheon County recorded the highest shares of foreign residents, at 16.68 percent and 12.51 percent, respectively. Cheongju, the provincial capital, had the largest foreign population at 28,555, with residents concentrated mainly in Heungdeok District and Cheongwon District.

More than 58 percent of foreign residents were in their 20s and 30s, contributing to labor supply in key industries as well as increased activity in cultural and consumer sectors, officials said.

“The era of 80,000 foreign residents signifies that Chungbuk has entered a new phase of growth based on diversity and inclusion,” the provincial office said.

“By attracting international students and skilled global talent, we aim to address labor shortages while ensuring foreign residents can grow as partners in the local community alongside provincial residents.”

In a bid to not only attract foreign students but also encourage them to stay in the province for their professional careers, North Chungcheong Provincial Office introduced the K-Guardian program, assigning local businesses to assist international students in October 2024.

Starting with 31 local mentors, the office assisted a total of 71 international students from seven local colleges for their successful adjustment, cultural experience and future career development last year.

The official said the provincial office will strengthen the program to attract more international students this year and provide various career opportunities within the province.