By Ayushi Agarwal
New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): South Korea is seeking to expand people-to-people ties with India by attracting more Indian students to study in the country, with education and culture emerging as key areas of cooperation between the two nations, South Korean Ambassador to India Lee Seong-ho said on Friday.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Korea Education Fair in New Delhi, Ambassador Lee said that while industrial collaboration has traditionally been a major avenue of India-South Korea relations, the partnership is now rapidly expanding into people-to-people exchanges, with culture and education at the centre of these efforts.
“As you understand, between Korea and India, so far industrial collaboration has been the main avenue, the main channel between our two countries. Now, actually our relationship is rapidly expanding, and one of the areas we both governments are focusing on is people-to-people exchange. Obviously, culture and education are at the centre of our efforts,” he said.
Highlighting the significance of the education fair, Lee said it was the first such Korea Education Fair being organised in India and expressed hope that more Indian students would choose South Korea for higher education and experience the country.
“This is the very first time we are organising a Korea Education Fair in India. We hope to attract as many Indian students who want to study and want to experience Korea. And several universities from Korea are here to set up their booth. And I hope more and more Indian students will eventually decide to go to Korea, experience, and study, and venture,” he said.
The ambassador said that fewer than 5,000 Indian students are currently studying in South Korea, but the number is growing rapidly.
“Not many actually. So far, not many. Less than 5,000 Indian students are studying in Korea, but it's expanding rather rapidly,” he said.
He also highlighted the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) programme, saying it provides an opportunity for Indian students who study Korean and are willing to pursue further studies in South Korea.
“And we offer the GKS--Global Korea Scholarship programme. With that, more and more Indian students who study Korean and who are willing to further their studies can be eligible for this scholarship programme,” Lee said.
Asked what message he would give Indian students who traditionally look towards countries such as Germany, France and the United States for higher education, the envoy pointed to South Korea's technological capabilities as well as its growing cultural appeal in India.
“As we all understand, this is the era of Indo-Pacific, and the East is becoming the centre of world dynamics. And Korea, we have virtually everything. We can offer science, technology, and cutting-edge technology. At the same time, we can offer cultural experience. Indian students are aware of K-pop, K-drama, K-culture. So in addition to this educational experience, research experience, cutting-edge technology experience, we can offer this cultural experience also, which should be different from the West, actually,” the ambassador said.
“So it should be a wonderful alternative for many Indian students,” he said. (ANI)
"Korea can offer cutting-edge technology, cultural experience": South Korean envoy to India Lee Seong-Ho on attracting Indian students
