This year marks the 17 years of support from the Kyungdong Scholarship Foundation, a partnership that has helped UNIST strengthen its efforts to nurture scientific talent.
On November 24, UNIST Student Affairs Team hosted the 2025 Kyungdong Scholarship Awards Presentation Ceremony at the Main Administration Building of UNIST, where five first-year students received scholarships totaling KRW 100 million.
Since the founding of UNIST, 196 students have benefited from the foundation’s support, with cumulative contributions reaching KRW 1.9795 billion. This steady annual support—consistently exceeding KRW 100 million—has eased financial burdens for students and enabled them to focus more fully on their academic and research activities.
Many consider this long-term partnership a meaningful example of how sustained university–community cooperation can contribute to the development of regional S&T talents.
YuHyun Lee from the School of New UNISTars shared his appreciation, “This schlarship will allow me to focus more on experiments and project work. Being selected as a recipient of 2025 Kyungdong Scholarship gives me a sense of responsibility, and I hope to give back in the future.”
This year also marked an expansion of the foundation’s engagement beyond scholarship support. In late September, it sponsored the inaugural ‘2025 UNIST Science Festival (Science ON),’ an event that attracted an enthusiastic crowd of thousands from the local community, exemplifying the university’s commitment to fostering a vibrant culture of science, innovation, and public engagement.
During the festival, participants developed their ideas into working models and prototypes, while younger students were introduced to hands-on science and engineering experiences. The event created a space for natural interaction between the university and the local community, strengthening shared access to scientific learning.
Fourteen teams were selected for outstanding work, and scholarships were awarded to several of the recognized teams. The foundation plans to expand its support for student research activities in next year’s festival.
UNIST President Chong Rae Park, who also chairs the Kyungdong Scholarship Foundation, expressed gratitude for the foundation’s long-term partnership, “The foundation has shown how the growth of our students can contribute directly to the development of the region,” adding “Its consistent support has provided important momentum for UNIST’s continuing competitiveness.”
