The government is expediting efforts to attract foreign students in the natural sciences and engineering fields as part of a plan to shore up the country’s cutting-edge industries.

The education ministry recently briefed President Lee Jae Myung of the plan to expand the proportion of graduate students in those fields to 45 percent of the total by 2027 under the state-run Global Korea Scholarship program.

There are seven-thousand-92 foreign students in the program this year, of whom five-thousand-200 are graduate students.

Of those studying for their master’s or doctoral degrees, 40-point-nine percent are specializing in the natural sciences or engineering.

An official from the ministry said the push to increase their numbers could enhance national competitiveness by helping the country foster talent in cutting-edge industries.