Soch’on Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Korea Studies
The purpose of this scholarship, funded by the Soch’on Foundation, is to help full-time graduate students at the University of Washington. To be considered for this scholarship, an applicant’s course of study must substantively engage with Korean studies. Selection is based on financial need and academic merit. One scholarship of up to $6000 is awarded annually.
Madame Soch’on Park Young-Hi, founder of the Soch’on Foundation, was born in Seoul in 1935 and majored in mathematics at Seoul National University. She has long been devoted to teaching. She is currently involved in discovering, preserving, transmitting, and developing regional culture as head of the Yongsan Culture Center. Madame Soch’on writes of her motivation in offering the Soch’on Scholarship in Korea Studies:
“In the desolate 1950s right after the Korean War it was a time when people in Korea desperately struggled to survive amidst poverty and ruin. Even in this maelstrom my mother Madame Yi Su-bok’s enthusiasm for education never flagged, and I was able to begin university life. Although my university life began only with hope and enthusiasm, my most unforgettable event was receiving a Fulbright Scholarship. Although it was only enough money to buy a few books, I felt truly fortunate. In my young mind I resolved, ‘Regardless of how rich, they sent scholarship money even to a distant and unknown country, so I, too, when I grow up and if I am able must also create a foundation to help students and those with difficulties.