By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has finalized the selection of 190 college students and graduates to take part in a work and travel program to the United States, a ministry official said Wednesday.
Gabriel Oh, ambassador for overseas Koreans and consular affairs, told reporters that the ministry completed the selection of 190 students in total, including 34 from low-income families and three disabled students. The ministry originally planned to select 300 people.
``Initially, 265 candidates completed their application submission to their American sponsors, but 75 of them gave up applications to participate in the Work, English, Study and Travel (WEST) program after that,'' Oh said.
About 50 percent of them dropped plans to join the WEST for monetary reasons, such as unstable foreign exchange rates and the economic downturn, and 26 percent said personal reasons discouraged them from being part of the program, the ambassador said.
Those selected will be asked to pay $5,000 for English-language courses, which is part of the program.
Oh said the ministry will encourage more students, especially applicants from working-class families, to participate in the program.
``The bill on Korea scholarship funds will be effective in May. Under the scheme, interested applicants who are facing difficulties in financing their WEST program are eligible for loans,'' Oh said.
According to the foreign ministry, the participants will be undertaking internships with U.S. businesses and non-profit organizations after completing the English-language program.
Oh said the primary purpose of the program is to allow Korean youths to gain experience of American corporate culture through their work experience.
The successful applicants will participate in a two-day orientation session. Officials at the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea will offer an education program on American and corporate culture.