Iljoo Foundation undergraduate scholarship recipients pose for a photo at the scholarship certificate ceremony held Thursday at Heungkuk Life Insurance Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Taekwang Group]
Iljoo Foundation undergraduate scholarship recipients pose for a photo at the scholarship certificate ceremony held Thursday at Heungkuk Life Insurance Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Taekwang Group]

The Iljoo Academic and Cultural Foundation, affiliated with Taekwang Group, held the "34th Domestic Undergraduate Scholarship Certificate Ceremony" on Thursday at Heungkuk Life Insurance Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the foundation announced Friday.

The 60 undergraduate scholarship recipients selected this year include 18 from the humanities and social sciences, 27 from natural sciences and engineering, and 15 from arts, physical education and music. To cultivate talent across a broader range of fields, the foundation expanded its arts and physical education quota this year. In sports, the selection was widened beyond physical education students to include promising athletes in basketball, taekwondo, judo and other sports. Each recipient will receive a living-expense scholarship of 4 million won ($2,700) per semester for up to five semesters, along with a separate academic subsidy.

The ceremony also recognized seven outstanding mentors for their volunteer mentoring work. Iljoo Foundation undergraduate scholars have provided academic mentoring to children in group homes since 2012, and expanded the program to community child centers in 2023.

"The foundation will not stop at simply providing scholarships — we will be a steadfast partner who shares in the growth and future of each and every scholar," said Kim Min-su, chairman of the Iljoo Foundation.

The foundation has selected domestic undergraduate scholars since 1991, guided by the philosophy of its late founder Lee Im-yong, who believed that a country lacking natural resources must invest in developing talented people. To date, it has provided 61.7 billion won to 1,983 individuals through undergraduate, master's and doctoral scholarship programs at home and abroad, as well as social contribution projects.


yeongdai@heraldcorp.com