South Gyeongsang scholarship foundation signs MOU with public institutions to nurture local talent

The South Gyeongsang Province Scholarship Foundation has joined forces with public institutions in Jinju Innovation City to develop talented young people in the region.

The foundation signed a "scholarship project MOU for nurturing outstanding local talent" with the South Gyeongsang Social Contribution Cluster (co-chaired by Ahn Cha-geun) Monday afternoon at a meeting room attached to the provincial administrative vice governor's office. The agreement aims to build a sustainable talent development framework in which the public and private sectors work together to give young people meaningful opportunities to grow.

Under the MOU, the foundation will identify scholarship recipients and match them with member public institutions of the cluster, which will then provide tailored support. Each institution will offer students job experience programs, career mentoring and in-kind donations to help them define and pursue their goals. The two organizations will also hold a joint consultative meeting at least once a year.

The 53 students selected this year under a newly established specialized scholarship program will be the first to benefit. The group includes 51 "talent development scholarship" recipients in the fields of art, music and sports, along with two "international competition scholarship" recipients — middle school students from Gimhae who will compete in an international robotics competition.

The foundation will provide each student with a scholarship of 2 million won ($1,300). Rather than offering additional cash grants, the partner public institutions will support the students through in-kind donations and career mentoring tailored to each institution's area of expertise.

Park Il-ung, chairman of the South Gyeongsang Province Scholarship Foundation, said the agreement represents "a new scholarship model that goes beyond simple financial support, helping young people find their career paths through collaboration with public institutions." He added that the foundation would "work with the South Gyeongsang Social Contribution Cluster to build a solid and effective support framework."

Separately, the foundation will select 30 university students from the province for an overseas training program at Towson University in Maryland, beginning in mid-July and running for one month. Reflecting the rise in the exchange rate, the foundation has allocated 350 million won in project funding this year to cover participants' full tuition, dormitory fees and airfare.