| Southeast Asian employees at Korean companies answer questions during the ASEAN Youth Career Mentorship hosted by the ASEAN-Korea Centre and livestreamed on YouTube, Sept. 26. / Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Centre |
By Yi Whan-woo
The ASEAN-Korea Centre hosted an annual mentorship program, Sept. 26, to help students from 10 ASEAN countries to build their careers in Korea.
A Seoul-based international organization tasked with ASEAN cooperation, the center has been running the ASEAN Youth Career Mentorship since 2017 to cope with a rising number of ASEAN jobseekers in Korea.
The number increased from 4,781 in 2010 to 64,200 in 2019. The figure accounts for one third of the total number of foreign students in Korea.
Livestreamed on YouTube, the 2020 edition was divided into two sessions, with lawyers and a job consultant in Korea answering questions in the first session and the Southeast Asians who work at Korean companies doing so in the second session.
This helped over 100 young jobseekers to get up-to-date information on landing jobs here.
One of the three mentors in the first session, Hwang Se-hun from law firm CHS, answered questions on visa-related issues.
In relation to job trends in the COVID-19 era, Cha Jae-won from Trust One Consulting Group shared his prospects on the job market and Ha Yoon-hong, a managing partner of law firm Keumseong, explained the recruiting process and requirements.
In the second session, ASEAN employees at the Korean enterprises shared their own experiences and tips for finding employment here.
"As many online companies and startups in the ‘contactless sector' are flourishing, especially since the outbreak of COVID-19, there are growing job opportunities for tech-savvy young ASEAN talents," ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary-General Lee Hyuk said. "I hope this program will provide a meaningful opportunity for many ASEAN students in Korea to listen to useful tips and career advice."