[The ROK Ministry of Unification and Australia’s Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade sign a Memorandum of Understanding to extend
an English language scholarship program for North Korean defector students.]
The ROK Ministry of Unification, the Australian □ Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade, and UTS Insearch, a language school of the
University of Technology Sydney, signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) to extend an English language scholarship program for North
Korean defector students at 10:00 a.m. on November 28. The language
program is designed to train former North Korean students as global
talents and was extended for three years.
o The ROK Ministry of Unification, the Australian Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade, and UTS Insearch signed a Memorandum of
Understanding to offer English language scholarships for North Korean
defector students on February 29, 2016. The latest MOU signing was
arranged to extend the scholarship program from 2019 to 2021. The
signing ceremony was attended by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon,
Australian Ambassador to South Korea James Choi, and Alex Murphy,
managing director of UTS Insearch.
- The program has been attended by five North Korean defector
college students jointly selected by the above three agencies every
year. They have undergone 30 weeks of English language classes at UTS
Insearch in Sydney. The expenses have been shared by the three agencies.
o The three agencies consider that the English language scholarship
program has done a great deal to improve former North Korean students’
English skills and develop their global leadership potential, and
agreed to extend the program. They will select five students every
year through 2019 as before and then select seven students every year
beginning in 2020.
□ The Korea Hana Foundation plans to select the students who will
receive the scholarships between February and March 2019. The selected
students will take English language classes for 30 weeks from June
2019 to February 2020 in Australia.
o North Korean defector college students aged 18 or older (including
students who are taking some time off from school) are eligible for
the program, and the details concerning the application process,
eligibility criteria, and so on will be announced through a
recruitment notice by the Korea Hana Foundation.
Before the MOU signing ceremony, Minister Cho said, □ “I am deeply
grateful to the Australian government for taking interest in and
rendering support for North Korean defector college students. I hope
that this English language scholarship program proves very helpful to
the students toward their building a global mindset and becoming
talents for the future of a unified Korea.”
o In response, Australian Ambassador to South Korea James Choi said,
“This program affords North Korean defector students great
opportunities not only to improve their English skills but to gain
valuable experience in that they will learn about various cultures
while living in Australia. The Australian government actively supports
and welcomes the extension of this scholarship program.”
□ The Ministry of Unification renders support to former North Korean
students so that they can concentrate on college life and broaden
their experiences through a variety of programs including preliminary
colleges for North Korean defector students, scholarships, and
language training programs abroad. The Ministry will do everything it
can to help them develop their capabilities to become talents for the
future of a unified Korea.