MOU with the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET)

July 17, 2023 - The Asia Foundation signed an MOU with WISET on July 13, 2023, to promote women’s empowerment in STEM in Asia. Both organizations have cooperated for several events for the past three years, including the 2022 Expert Group Meeting hosted by WISET and the U.S.-Korea-Japan Trilateral Summit on Women’s Leadership in STEM in 2020, organized by The Asia Foundation. Through the MOU, both organizations will cooperate to enhance female students and the workforce’s capacity and self-efficacy in the STEM field in Asia and stimulate a socially and educationally supporting environment for them. The Asia Foundation’s initiative, STEM ConnectHER, will be the first cooperation after the MOU to strengthen women’s networking and mentorship in STEM in Asia. The initiative initially connected women in STEM in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Through the cooperation, the initiative will be expanded in Korea for the ..

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July 17, 2023

2023-2024 Luce Scholars Arrive in Korea

July 4, 2023 - After a highly competitive selection process, eighteen Scholars were selected as 2023-2024 Luce Scholars. Among the newly chosen scholars, Angelique Southern(left), Coleman Yorke(middle), and Sarah Toscano(right) arrived in Korea on July 1. The three Luce Scholars will intensively learn the Korean language during the Summer and begin to work for their placement from September. During this one-year Luce Scholar year, Angelique (M.A, Georgetown University) will work as an assistant researcher at UNESCO APCEIU (Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding). Coleman (Premedical Postbaccalaureate, Bryn Mawr College and M.S., University of Oxford) is placed at Youth and Young Adult Development Lab at Yonsei University. He will participate in the lab’s projects as a researcher. Sarah (M.A, Columbia University) will work for Gen G. Global Academy, a global esports company’s institute educating students by leading one of the career development classes. ..

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July 14, 2023

Accelerate Market Competitiveness for North Korean Refugees in South Korea: Empowering Entrepreneurs for Success

July 5, 2023 - The Asia Foundation's "Accelerate Market Competitiveness for North Korean Refugees in South Korea" program, generously supported by the Aesop Foundation through Charities Aid Foundation, is making significant strides in empowering North Korean refugee (NKR) entrepreneurs to thrive in South Korea's dynamic market. In partnership with the Korea Merchandiser (MD) Association, the program aims to equip NKR entrepreneurs with the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in the competitive business landscape. One of the program’s key components was the Access to Market Training, held on May 2, 2023. Led by Mr. Jae Pil Jeong, Chairman of the Korea MD Association, the training session provided insights into the sales channel landscape in South Korea. By arming participants with this essential understanding, the program sought to empower them to make informed decisions when venturing into new markets. On May 11, 2023, The ..

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July 05, 2023

Kahng Foundation Scholarship Program: Completion of Year 1 and Continuation of Year 2

June 30, 2023 - The Asia Foundation provided scholarships for 18 North Korean Refugee (NKR) students’ living costs to help them concentrate on their studies from having to work part-time jobs to earn money. The scholarship aims to support the students to become better equipped with modern skills for decent jobs and serve as positive examples of NKRs settling in South Korea. For two semesters from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023, 14 undergraduates and four graduates benefitted from the scholarship, totaling KRW72,000,000 ($52,600). According to the students’ reports, the scholarship positively impacted the scholars in various ways. The students showed better academic achievements and had more opportunities to interact with peer students. The scholarship also helped with their health and developing their career plans. In addition, the scholars could spend time volunteering for others in need and had more confidence to integrate into school life and society. The students said the sch..

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June 30, 2023

The Asia Foundation Hosts Second Australia-Republic of Korea-United States Trilateral Dialogue

June 21, 2023 — On June 7-8, in cooperation with the Perth USAsia Centre in Australia, The Asia Foundation organized a Republic of Korea – Australia – United States Trilateral Dialogue in Seoul that examined energy, critical materials, and supply chains for future trilateral cooperation. This meeting builds on the Foundation’s first trilateral held virtually in December 2021. In that dialogue, the importance of future energy, critical elements, and supply chains was touted as promising areas where all three countries can cooperate to form a key plank of the trilateral relationship. This Seoul Trilateral Dialogue brought 20 specialists from South Korea, Australia, and the United States to discuss and examine (1) each country’s energy status and strategies for future opportunities, including supply of future batteries, hydrogen, lithium, etc.; (2) critical materials more broadly and rare earth metals, in particular, with a focus on the unique roles and r..

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June 21, 2023

Wadiz crowdfunding campaign pages of women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province supported by The Asia Foundation are open

April 18, 2023 - The Asia Foundation supports women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province to open a funding campaign page on the wadiz platform as part of the Accelerate Women’s Entrepreneurship in Korea Phase II Program. Wadiz has opened a special page for participating women entrepreneurs. We are sharing their funding projects supported by the program on the page. We look forward to the participation and support of those who are interested. Please click the link below. https://www.wadiz.kr/crowd/theasiafoundation

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April 18, 2023

Women Entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province, Linked Together

April 7, 2023 - The Asia Foundation successfully completed the two-year and nine-month program. Throughout the project period, The Asia Foundation organized 14 activities categorized into four pillars for 328 women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi province: Access to Market (A2M), Access to Finance (A2F), Personal Initiative (PI) Training, and Advocacy. The activities included webinars, grants, 1:1 coaching, different types of crowdfunding, and a public event. The major outcomes are as follows: The program was designed from a gender perspective. At the beginning of the program, The Asia Foundation provided gender training for project partners and childcare services for women entrepreneurs participating in the program (11 women entrepreneurs and their 18 children benefitted from the service). The program closed with the wrap-up event on March 29, 2023 (a short video clip of the event). Further needs of women entrepreneurs were identified during t..

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April 07, 2023

[Newsletter] Winter 2023

The Winter edition of The Asia Foundation Korea is here! Please check our latest news. Raising Public Awareness of Women Entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province The Asia Foundation organized a media event to empower women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province and suggest visions to move forward on November 22, 2022. The event provided a venue for women entrepreneurs in the region to voice their difficulties, share their success stories, and discuss possible measures to enhance the women's entrepreneurship ecosystem with various stakeholders, incl..

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February 23, 2023

FOTAF Provides Scholarships for Vietnamese Girls

January 12, 2023 - Friends of The Asia Foundation (FOTAF) continues to provide scholarships (Cohort VII) to Vietnamese girls for 2023-2024. This scholarship will enable 50 financially disadvantaged girls from Vietnam's Mekong Delta region to complete grades 11 through 12. Many Vietnamese girls face severe challenges in reaching their educational goals. Many girls from low-income families drop out of school before or during secondary school. For many students from low-income or remote areas, financial difficulty and long-distance travel are two main reasons for dropping out. This is detrimental to girls and women throughout their lives, perpetuating a vicious cycle of illiteracy, poverty, and ill-health in individual families and communities, hindering Vietnam's overall development. Vietnam has made considerable strides over the last decade to improve the quality of public education. However, girls are still less likely to be enrolled in secondary educatio..

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January 12, 2023