KOTRA President Kang Gyeong-seong (left) and KIRD President Bae Tae-min hold up a signed MOU. [KIRD]
KOTRA President Kang Gyeong-seong (left) and KIRD President Bae Tae-min hold up a signed MOU. [KIRD]

The Korea Institute of Research and Development for Professional Human Resources (KIRD) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) are joining forces to attract top overseas talent in science and technology to Korea.

The two agencies signed an MOU Thursday at KOTRA's headquarters to cooperate on recruiting and supporting the settlement of elite global talent in science, technology and advanced industries.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has established a system linking recommendations for outstanding science and technology talent with visa and residency screening by the Ministry of Justice, and since June has expanded the Top-Tier Visa program to cover professors and researchers in science and technology. KIRD handles recommendation services under the expanded Top-Tier Visa program, while KOTRA has been issuing K-Tech Pass certificates to top-tier overseas talent hired by domestic companies in advanced industries since 2025.

When a talent holder of a recommendation letter applies for a Top-Tier Visa (F-2), the Ministry of Justice grants a residency visa to the applicant and their family, who also receive priority access to full-cycle support services covering everything from entry to research settlement.

Under the MOU, the two agencies plan to pursue cooperation across four areas: attracting outstanding overseas talent in science, technology and advanced industries and jointly operating the Top-Tier Visa program; supporting the lifestyle settlement of overseas talent and building research and career-development networks; linking high-achieving foreign nationals who earned science and engineering degrees in Korea to career development and industry; and recruiting and supporting the activities of outstanding overseas Koreans.

KIRD President Bae Tae-min said attracting top overseas talent through Top-Tier Visa recommendations and supporting their stable settlement are "core factors that determine the nation's science and technology competitiveness." He added that the agency would contribute to making Korea a powerhouse of science and technology talent by combining KIRD's expertise in career development for domestic and international researchers with KOTRA's global talent-scouting infrastructure.

KOTRA President Kang Gyeong-seong said that in a borderless competition for talent, bold programs such as the K-Tech Pass and the recently expanded Top-Tier Visa "are powerful tools for drawing the world's top-tier talent to Korea." He said KOTRA would work actively to ensure outstanding talent takes deep root in Korea's industrial ecosystem by combining the scouting capabilities of KOTRA's overseas talent recruitment centers with KIRD's hands-on, full-cycle settlement support.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com