Shawdesh desk:

South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has highlighted the role of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Bangladesh alumni in strengthening and deepening the friendly ties between Bangladesh and Korea.

He particularly mentioned their role in connecting the many talented and ambitious Bangladesh youth with the Korean academic community.

Ambassador Lee also asked them to play an important role in celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023.

He wished that more Bangladeshi students could find chances to study in Korea in the coming years and expressed his commitment to making strenuous efforts to this end.

On Saturday, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea hosted the first ever GKS alumni meet-up in Dhaka in cooperation with the GKS Bangladesh Alumni Association.

Around 40 GKS Bangladesh alumni members, President of the Korea-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KBCCI) and Chairman of the Meghna Group of Industries Mostafa Kamal, President of the Korean Community Association in Bangladesh Yoo Yong-oh, Director of KOICA Dhaka Office Do Young-Ah and other dignitaries participated in today’s event.

The Global Korea Scholarship is a South Korean government programme to provide foreign students with an opportunity to study in Korean universities with scholarship.

Under this program, every year around 20 Bangladesh students are going to Korea for undergraduate or graduate studies.

Since 2011, 172 Bangladeshi students have benefitted from the GKS program, among which 137 were in graduate programs while 35 were in undergraduate programmes, according to the South Korean Embassy in Dhaka.

At present, around 1,500 Bangladeshi students are studying in Korean universities, most of them with various scholarships opportunities, including the GKS.

The number of Bangladesh students in Korea continues to increase every year, and Korea is becoming an increasingly preferred destination for Bangladesh as well as for students from all around the world, said the Embassy.