When the Seoul Metropolitan Government opens its largest international job fair this fall, city officials will be aiming to solve a growing mismatch in Korea's tightening labor market: local companies looking for global markets, and thousands of foreign graduates eager to build careers in the capital. The recruitment drive for the event, officially titled Seoul Job Connect 2026 and set for Nov. 18 at the SETEC convention center in Gangnam District, opened Monday for local businesses seeking bilingual talent, market analysts and trade specialists. Companies aiming to hire international talent can apply through Oct. 16 on the event's official website. The initiative comes as Seoul rapidly cements its status as a premier global education and business hub. Once seen primarily as a regional manufacturing powerhouse, the city was recently described by the Financial Times as "the new Paris" for international university students. Higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds also named Seoul the world's top student city for the second consecutive year, reflecting a sharp increase in the