September 16, 2022 - With generous support from the Stephen & Maria Kahng Foundation, The Asia Foundation provided a scholarship for the cost of living for North Korean Refugee undergraduate and graduate students. Most North Korean refugees encounter economic difficulties in the competitive South Korean society. Financial support allows refugees to focus on education and building the skills they need to make a living and settle in South Korea.

Through intensive document screening and interviews, 12 undergraduates (10 female and two male students) and three graduate school students (one female and two male students) from various universities, including Seoul National University, Ewha Womans University, and Dongguk University, were selected as scholars for the fall semester of 2022. The scholars will need to achieve a certain level of academic score to continue with the scholarship in the following spring semester of 2023. The scholarship will help scholars to focus on their studies. University education will better equip them to obtain well-paying jobs and serve as positive examples of North Koreans settling in South Korea.