Niied celebrates international students from 'Study In Korea Supporters' program

The National Institute for International Education (Niied) celebrated international students who were selected for the Study In Korea Supporters program this year, aiming to spread information about Korean university life to those abroad.

Students selected for this year's Study In Korea Supporters program and representatives of international student associations in Korea pose for a photo at the National Institute of International Education building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday. [LEE TAE-HEE]

The National Institute for International Education (Niied) celebrated international students who were selected for the Study In Korea Supporters program this year, aiming to spread information about Korean university life to those abroad.

Around 10 international students selected for the program gathered at the Niied building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday.

The program is organized by Niied, with selected students creating social media content that helps promote studying in Korea to foreigners.

A total of 30 students were selected for this year’s program, which will run until November.

“We hope our supporters can deliver their stories and know-how of studying in Korea to students all around the globe through various online channels,” said Ryoo Hyea-sook, president of Niied. “We ask you to all take on pride and responsibility as someone who represents the Korean government’s Study In Korea project.”

Selected students will also help to promote the Study In Korea Education Fair by uploading information about the fair on their social media channels.

The fair is also organized by Niied and held in various countries abroad, with Korean universities attending to meet prospective students and provide information.

The event also celebrated students who were chosen as excellent supporters for the last program, with Mistah Ansari, a Chung-Ang University student, given the title.

During the past program, Ansari created content about her experience participating in her language program and the Lotus Lantern Festival.

She decided to participate in the program again this year, which is an option for past participants.

“I wanted to improve technical skills in content creation, especially in videography and editing, to produce more engaging and polished content,” said Ansari. “I hope to grow personally by exploring new places in Korea, while contributing to the program by creating content that entertains, educates and inspires other international students.”

For this year, she wishes to create content that shows all aspects of living in Korea, including getting a job or applying for long-term residency.

International student associations in Korea, selected to receive support from Niied, also attended the event.

A total of 10 student associations were selected for the project, which will help the associations host various events. The institute will allow students to use venues in the Niied building and provide supplies needed to host events until October.

One of the selected associations is the Pinoy Iskolars Sa Korea (PIKO), the Filipino student association in Korea.

The association plans to host many events this year, such as an online career mentoring seminar in July and an online session on scholarship opportunities in November.

“We’ve been holding the online seminar every year, but we used to mostly focus on visa-related information,” said Cassandra Aya Dela Cruz, PIKO’s vice president for external affairs. “But we expanded the event to cover employment, offering mentoring, writing resumes and other career information sessions.”

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]