South Korean scholarship program faces scrutiny after losing track of 80% of graduates – The Korea Times
A government scholarship program that spends hundreds of billions of won to attract foreign students to Korea is facing over its efficiency after officials did not receive responses from eight out of 10 graduates, prompting questions about the program’s oversight and accountability once students obtain their degrees.
Launched in 1967, the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program provides tuition, airfare and a monthly allowance to selected international students to promote academic exchanges and cultural understanding in Korea.
According to a 2024 survey by the National Institute for International Education submitted this month to Rep. Kim Jun-hyuk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 84 percent of the 10,269 GKS program graduates could not be reached by email, with only 15.8 percent responding.
The response rate is down from 2023, when a parliamentary audit found that 70 percent of the program's 14,111 graduates were unaccounted for.
Over the past four years, the government has spent more than 419.1 billion won ($295.5 million) on the program, with its annual budget increasing from 81 billion won in 2022 to more than 130 billion won this year.
Regional imbalance is another major concern. Of the 7,042 students admitted to the GKS program from 2022 to 2025, 60.2 percent were placed at 38 universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Of those students, 34 percent were concentrated in the top 10 universities, including Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei.
By comparison, 72 universities outside the capital region hosted 39.8 percent of GKS students.
“Universities in the Seoul metropolitan area already monopolize top domestic talent, and now the growing concentration of international students is deepening that dual structure,” Rep. Kim said.
Another lawmaker noted that the GKS program has drifted from its original purpose under Korea’s official development assistance (ODA).
Rep. Kim Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party said 18 percent of GKS recipients in 2024 came from developed countries, adding that the program has shifted its focus toward university internationalization and the recruitment of skilled workers.
“ODA represents Korea’s commitment to international solidarity as a donor country,” Rep. Kim Dae-sik said. “The program should be restructured into a two-track system separating ODA goals from domestic policy aims and balancing international solidarity with talent recruitment.”
“Since the program is funded by taxpayers, it should do more than provide scholarships — establishing a structured system to track results, including post-return reports and follow-up reviews,” he added.
