▲ Kim Jin-nam (L), a senior official overseeing the official development assistance program, speaks during a briefing, in this file photo from May 11, 2026. (Yonhap)

ODA-scholarship

S. Korea to expand science, engineering, AI majors in ODA scholarship program

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- The government will expand the proportion of those majoring in artificial intelligence, science and engineering among foreign students studying in South Korea on an official development assistance (ODA) scholarship program, officials said Thursday.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination said the proportion of master's and Ph.D. students in science and engineering majors among the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program students will be expanded to 45 percent by 2027 from the current 40.9 percent as part of efforts to foster future talents in the AI and digital era.

The plan was announced after the office held a meeting at Seoul National University with foreign students on the GKS program to collect their views on studying and living in South Korea, visas, jobs and other issues, as well as opinions on how to improve the program.

The GKS program was launched in 1968 and has since provided scholarships to a total of 19,502 people in 161 countries. The program has produced many elites in developing countries, including an education minister of Ghana, a university president in Ethiopia and a Supreme Court justice in Kazakhstan.

"The scholarship program for foreign students is aimed at nurturing excellent talents in partner countries so as to help the countries stand on their own feet and pursue sustainable growth," said Kim Jin-nam, a senior official overseeing the ODA program. "This project also holds high strategic value as it attracts science and engineering talent highly demanded by local industries."

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]