24 Koreans awarded Chevening Scholarship

On Wednesday, the British Embassy in Seoul celebrated the 24 Koreans who were chosen to visit the United Kingdom and study under the British government’s Chevening Scholarship this year.

“Congratulations on your Chevening Award. The Chevening selection process was highly competitive this year. You should be proud of yourself in being selected as a scholar,” said British Ambassador to Korea Charles Hay, as he addressed the 24 gathered at his residence in central Seoul. “Your experience in the U.K. will give you new perspectives in your fields of expertise which I hope will benefit Korean society and U.K.-Korea relations.”

He continued, “Many Chevening alumni develop a lifelong affection for the U.K. and I hope that all the new scholars here tonight have the same experience. But it is not all about the time you will spend in the U.K.”

“A key benefit of being selected as a Chevening scholar is transitioning to being a Chevening alumni. Once you return, you will become a part of the Alumni network. Here in Korea, we are very fortunate to have an active alumni association - ‘Chevening Alumni Korea’ - which is led by Chairman Chang Yoo-taek, who was newly elected this year,” Hay said.

Chevening is the British government’s international scholarship program, established in 1983 and funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and partner organizations, which include Diageo, Mansion House, British Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Bank of Korea and Korea British Society. There are more than 46,000 Chevening recipients worldwide, including over 1,100 Korean alumni.

The Chevening Scholarship covers the flights to and from the United Kingdom, tuition, accommodation and monthly allowance for the recipients during their studies.

For more information about the scholarship, visit www.chevening.org.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]