2012 Korean Government Scholarship program for Undergraduate- Application Guideline

Korean government invites 100 international students from 62 countries who wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Korea.

To be selected as a KGSP grantee, any applicant should successfully pass through the 1st selection process set by the Korean embassies (or Consulates) of his or her origin.

So to apply for the program, please contact the 1st selection organizations to get detailed information on the 1st selection process such as application deadline and required documents, etc. *

Application deadline may differ from one country to another; it will be expected to fall in late September or early October.

As for the application guideline, please refer to the attached files.

Wish you all good luck!

Application guideline click

http://www.niied.go.kr/CommonBoard/board_view_user.jsp?seq=65&&boardid=TB_NIIED_ENG_BRD04&keyword=&searchtype=&chk_title=null&chk_contents=null&chk_writername=null&no=65

East Timorese Activist Becomes Envoy

An independence activist
A refugee living in exile for 24 years
A leader of a political party
Minister of infrastructure
Prime minister
A candidate for presidential election

This is a brief summary of Joao Carrascalao's life. And starting last August he began working in Korea as the top diplomat of East Timor.
"I chose to come, because I really fell in love with this country and its people," he said during an interview with The Korea Times in his Hannam-dong office, in Seoul,Korea.
As he continued, it became clear that his comment wasn't mere diplomatic rhetoric that carried no meaning.
Many East Timorese, the ambassador said, view Korea as one of their very good friends that helped them when the country was struggling.
"Former President Kim Dae-jung played a very important role in supporting our struggle. Therefore, it was felt very strong in the hearts of Timorese," Carrascalao said as to why.
The late Kim addressed the issue to leaders of APEC member states during its annual meeting in New Zealand in 1999.
Korea was also one of the first to join international nation-building efforts in East Timor.
It dispatched "Evergreen Troops" ― 440 soldiers ― in 1999 as part of U.N. peacekeeping forces, and they stayed until March in 2003. Carrascalao also appreciated Korea's swift opening of an embassy in Dili, the capital.
The two countries established diplomatic ties in 2002, and Korea opened the embassy the same year.
Although belated, the opening of the East Timorese Embassy in Seoul - it opened last March - carries a significant implication. The embassy is one of only 17 embassies the country has around the world.
East Timor has opened foreign missions mostly in Portuguese speaking countries, including Portugal, Brazil and Angola, and other important nations, the ambassador said.
The rank of the ambassador as a top politician and former minister also hints at Korea's significance to the Timorese.
Carrascalao said three things will be his top priorities, the first being student exchanges.
Timorese students with East Timor President Dr.Jose Ramos Horta & The embassador of Timor Leste to South Korea Mr.Joao Carrascalao






He said he believes young students' overseas experience will be so useful when they return home. So far, he has managed to bring 12, yet, is working to increase the number.
  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=469395630710&ref=ts

Another priority will be an exchange of workers - by this, he didn't mean cheap labor for Koreans.

                                       

                            Celebrated together last Christmas and New year in River tower 2011

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=469395630710&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=369691002168&ref=ts

Workers from East Timor will learn skills, for example, in agriculture, which will help to grow their own vegetables in large quantities, he said.
"Then we won't have to import vegetables from China."
Thirdly, he wants to promote East Timor as a tourist attraction for Koreans.
"I know many Koreans go to Asian countries for their honeymoon. They can consider East Timor as an option."
The tourism infrastructure still has a room to grow, and he encouraged Korean investors to come along the newlyweds. East Timor is on an island sharing half of the land with Indonesia.
As a former Portuguese colony, the land of 15,000 square kilometers is immersed in Portuguese culture.
Ninety-five percent of the population is Catholic, whereas Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim country.

"Although we share the border, our cultures are different," Carrascalao said.
In the wake of the Carnation Revolution, Portugal began a decolonization process, giving colonies the right to choose their own destiny.
East Timor, after nearly 450 years under Portuguese influence, decided to declare its independence.
Indonesia didn't want to see that happen, one of the reasons of which, some argued, was the abundant natural resources the small piece of land possesses.
Indonesia invaded the territory in 1975 ― that's when Carrascalao fled the country. By July 1976, Indonesia annexed East Timor as part of its 27th province.
Resistance against the Indonesian military presence within the country began and overseas independence movement spread.
The ambassador initiated an overseas campaign in Australia.
Efforts gained international support, which pressured Indonesia to hold a referendum on the future of East Timor in 1999.
The result was in favor of independence with a majority of 78 percent of the votes.
The Indonesian military-supported East Timorese pro-integration militia and the Indonesian military carried out violence, killing 1,400 and hundreds of thousands fled the country, and destroyed the country's infrastructure.
In October 1999, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) established the administration of East Timor, and elections were held for a Constituent Assembly to draft a Constitution, of which the ambassador was part.
The ambassador called for continuous support from Korea. Being a continuous consumer of its natural gas would be one thing, he hoped.
Currently, Korea Gas Corporation imports natural gas from the country. "We want to learn how to use all these resources for the benefit of the people," he said.




Rest In Peace Mr. Joao Viegas Carrascalao ( The embassador of Timor Leste to South Korea) You will always be remember and we miss you already...ㅠㅠ

view more pictures were celebrated last christmas with Mr.Joao Viegas Carrascalao

http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l615/Jaimito_Marques/

Government Bends Its Rules for Beneficiaries of State Scholarship

The government is apparently ignoring its own university admission guidelines for foreign students, set up last September, by exempting those on state-funded scholarship programs from the screening process.

Critics say this means the qualifications of students benefiting from the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program could be lower than those of students studying here on their own financial means. It could also create discriminatory issues, some foreign students have said.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, however, refuses to budge from its policy of not requiring students invited under the state program to meet any admission guidelines.

Lee Kyung-lim, an official dealing with foreign student policy at the ministry said, "We have decided not to apply the rules to students under the auspices of government scholarship as we believe the program is working well."

Currently under the admission guidelines, foreign students are required to have reached grade four ― out of six ― in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).

Alternatively, they have to prove their English proficiency with a minimum score of 550 out of 990 in the Seoul National University-developed TEPS; 550 out of 677 in the paper-based TOEFL, 210 out of 300 on the computer-based test, and more than 80 out of 120 on the Internet-based test.

Some foreign students are complaining about the unfairness of the GKS program.

"It is considered an honor to be selected as a government scholarship student. Thus, the program should recruit high quality students. However, I met many state scholarship students who speak Korean very poorly," said a Turkish student in Busan who pays his own way.

Even a student who benefits from the government scholarship pointed out problems with the program. In an email to The Korea Times, the student said, "The process of selecting scholarship students is carried out by Korean embassies in related countries in an unfair process. Most of the students, including me, do not take any exams or undergo a screening process."

"I got this scholarship thanks to my father's high position in my home country's government. That's why most NIID students don't have a good educational background."

Complaints came not only from foreigners studying here but from overseas.

An Egyptian who serves as a Korean language guide in his country is hoping to study through the scholarship program.

But he says he hasn't even been given an opportunity to apply as the Korean Embassy has already nominated students according to its own rules.

The National Institute for International Education (NIIED), the agency supervising the scholarship program, recruits students.

Asked by The Korea Times why the embassy didn't advertise the recruitment for the program like other embassies in other countries, a consular official said, "We have already selected three students from Ain Shams University and will recommend them to the NIIED."

In comparison, Japan and China announce the student selection process and list the criteria for the scholarship program. The Japanese government conducts examinations in Korean and selects the 10 best students for interviews.

The Chinese government recommends the top scores from a total of a possible 400 points. Two hundred points for the Chinese proficiency test, or HSK, 100 points for the English examination and the other 100 points are calculated from the grade point average (GPA).