{
  "id": 69105,
  "title": "South Korean graduates look to Japan to beat job shortage at home",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/south-korean-graduates-look-to-japan-to-beat-job-shortage-at-home",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-03T02:38:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3362735/south-korean-graduates-look-japan-beat-job-shortage-home"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seoul-based entrepreneur Moe Kasugai noticed a disparity in job opportunities for top South Korean graduates when she was a student at Yonsei University. Encouraged by the graduates' intelligence, she launched KOREC in 2019 to connect jobseekers with Japanese employers. This service saw an increase in demand as South Korean youth face a shortage of entry-level jobs, and Japan struggles to fill positions in structured graduate schemes. Despite average salaries being slightly higher in South Korea, South Korean tech talent placement firms such as Wanted Lab and LAPRAS have launched similar services, joining early mover Mynavi.\n\nThe South Korean capital hosted three Japan-focused job fairs in 2023, attracting companies like Canon Imaging Systems and Azbil. According to the Korea Labour Institute, 80,000-plus South Koreans working in Japan commonly fill professional roles in sectors such as retail, IT, and game development. In 2024, 2,257 young South Koreans took jobs in Japan through government-backed programs, a 47% increase from the previous year, making Japan their top destination for working overseas. This trend contrasts with the US, where the figure dropped by 29%.\n\nCross-border ties between South Korea and Japan extend beyond employment. In 2025, marriages between South Korean men and Japanese women increased by 26%, while South Korean women marrying Japanese men surged by 29%. Moreover, a record number of South Koreans visited Japan this year, making up the country's largest group of inbound tourists. Many South Korean jobseekers are attracted to the prospect of receiving on-the-job training at Japanese companies, something South Korean firms typically do not provide to fresh graduates.\n\nSouth Korean candidates' language skills, cultural understanding, and competitiveness are highly appealing to Japanese companies. However, retaining foreign talent poses a challenge, as South Koreans often switch jobs for career advancement and better pay. Kasugai hopes these placements will foster cross-border understanding, enabling Korean people to forge connections with Japanese colleagues and learn about Korean culture.",
  "summary": "When Japanese entrepreneur Moe Kasugai was a student at Seoul’s Yonsei University, she was struck by how some of the prestigious South Korean college’s brightest graduates struggled to land a job. So in 2019 she launched a service to connect South Korean jobseekers with Japanese employers. “I was surprised that they couldn’t find a job because they were so smart,” the 35-year-old said in Seoul at…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}