Korea, U.S. to promote STEM exchanges and cooperation

Korea and the United States agreed to jointly fund an initiative amounting to $60 million that aims to deepen educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Students take part in a semiconductor training program at Ajou University in Suwon, Gyeonggi, in February. [YONHAP]

Korea and the United States agreed to jointly fund an initiative amounting to $60 million that aims to deepen educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also collectively known as STEM.

The agreement was announced during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Washington this week, during which he and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the 70-year-old alliance.

The new educational initiative aims to serve 2,023 Koreans and 2,023 Americans, symbolic of the year 2023 and in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the alliance, the White House said in a press release.

The initiative will include 200 grantees under the Fulbright scholarship program, making it the largest number of grantees selected for STEM in Fulbright’s history.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an international educational exchange program funded by the U.S. government, which provides participants with opportunities to study and conduct research in the United States or overseas.

“President Biden and President Yoon noted that our mutual prosperity and global competitiveness depends on our ability to empower all our people, particularly women, to participate in and contribute to our economy, in all sectors and at all levels,” the press release said.

Officials at Korea's Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday that the goal was to launch the initiative next year. To that end, both countries will continuously carry out discussions to specify the details.

According to the officials, the initiative will largely run on two key pillars.

One will be the Fulbright scholarship program for 200 grantees in the STEM fields, with 100 grantees chosen from each country.

The program will essentially support advanced degree programs and research in cutting-edge fields. A hundred Korean students will be selected to complete their master’s or doctorate in cutting-edge fields in the United States, while 100 researchers in cutting-edge fields in the United States will come to conduct research at Korean universities.

The other pillar will involve a special exchange program for engineering students.

Students from Korea and the United States will be invited to visit each other’s universities and industry sites for six months to a year to gain hands-on experience in advanced fields.

The target participants will be students who aspire to work or conduct research in advanced industries such as semiconductors, with a strong willingness to deeply learn advanced technology, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a press release.

Especially for American students, they will have the opportunity to learn Korean language and culture during their visit to Korea.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, JEONG JONG-HOON [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]