Fluent Korean opened doors for Moroccan engineer in Korea

Developing fluency in Korean, rather than simply earning a degree, was one of the biggest factors behind Moroccan engineer Hind Rbigui’s successful settlement in Korea.

“Studying Korean and regularly taking part in Korean-language speech contests helped me greatly when I was looking for a job and ultimately became one of the most important factors in building a long-term life here,” said Rbigui, a Moroccan who recently became a naturalized Korean citizen, in an interview with The Korea Times.

Her interest in Korea was first sparked by a television drama, but soon deepened into a fascination with the country’s rapid economic rise.

“As an industrial engineering student, I wanted to understand how Korea had achieved such remarkable development in such a short period,” she said.

“I felt I had to come and see it for myself.” Rbigui came to Korea in 2014 under the Korean Government Scholarship Program, now known as the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS).

After a year of Korean-language training at Inha University, she pursued a doctorate in industrial engineering at the University ...