Gumi Scholarship Foundation Significantly Strengthens Support for Local Talent Settlement
Full Efforts to Foster Regionally Rooted Talent and Enhance Educational Competitiveness
The Gumi Scholarship Foundation in North Gyeongsang Province (Chairman Kim Jangho) is making every effort to foster settlement-oriented talent in order to prevent the outflow of local talent and encourage them to settle in Gumi.
This measure comes as the decline in the school-age population and the intensifying trend of local talent moving to the Seoul metropolitan area threaten the region's competitiveness and future growth.
Since Kim Jangho took office as chairman, the Gumi Scholarship Foundation has shifted its scholarship system from focusing solely on academic excellence to supporting local settlement. It has evolved from simply awarding scholarships to high-achieving students to providing practical support that helps students continue their studies and careers within the region.
To this end, the foundation established new scholarships for freshmen who enter local universities after graduating from high schools in the area, expanding the scale of local university scholarship recipients from 219 students and 290 million KRW in 2023 to 317 students and 360 million KRW in 2024.
Starting in the second half of this year, the foundation will introduce the “Local University-Local Employment/Entrepreneurship Linked Scholarship” for those who find employment or start businesses in Gumi after graduating from local universities, accelerating the establishment of a virtuous cycle system of “admission-employment/entrepreneurship-settlement” for local talent.
Efforts to honor and promote donors have also been strengthened. In June last year, a “Hall of Fame” was established at City Hall, and thank-you letters and promotional materials were sent out to encourage participation. As a result, the fund raised 364 million KRW in 2023 and 510 million KRW as of the end of August 2024, far exceeding the annual average donation of 139 million KRW from 2018 to 2022.
The city plans to introduce various recognition programs in the second half of this year, such as free public parking for major donors, and next year, incentives will be provided to outstanding local teachers to enhance educational capacity.
Kim Jangho, Mayor of Gumi, said, “The Gumi Scholarship Foundation plays an important role in helping local talent settle in Gumi,” adding, “We will strengthen various support measures and donor recognition programs so that local talent can contribute to regional development through the process from education to employment and settlement.”
Since its establishment in 2008, the Gumi Scholarship Foundation has raised a total of 33.1 billion KRW in scholarship funds through continuous support from citizens, and from 2011 to this year, it has awarded a total of 4.12473 billion KRW in scholarships to 2,574 recipients over 14 rounds.
The foundation also operates the Seoul Gumi Dormitory, providing a stable learning environment for local students who enter universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.
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