ASEAN+3 approves guidelines for student exchanges

SELANGOR, Malaysia, May 26 (Yonhap) -- Asian countries approved guidelines for student exchanges on Thursday that can stimulate the movement of people wanting to study throughout the region. The understanding was reached at the ASEAN+3 Education Ministers Meeting in Malaysia attended by top officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, as well as South Korea, Japan and China. South Korea has been working with education officials from ASEAN, China and Japan to establish a credit transfer system within the member countries. The new guidelines include financial support such as transportation fees or insurance as well as providing tutoring services. Based on the guidelines, the member countries are now working on how to recognize the transfered credits on transcripts. In South Korea, approximately 67,000 students from ASEAN+3 countries are studying as of 2015. Some 83,100 South Koreans are studying in ASEAN+3 countries. "We still have to solve the visa and credit recognition issues," South Korean Education Minister Lee Joon-sik said. "Mutual effort is needed to handle the remaining problems." Lee said South Korea will put forward its utmost efforts to build an education community with ASEAN+3 members, stressing the importance of cooperation among countries. (END)