KAIST has recently been the beneficiary of a 50-million-KRW donation from the parents of two KAIST alumni. These parents, Ki-Hong Oh (husband) and Soon-Yi Kim (wife), run a tangerine farm and a B&B in Seogwipo, Jeju. The family has produced three graduates from the school; the two sons, Hwan-Hee Oh (class of 2005) and Hwan-Yup Oh (class of 2009), received their master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering, and the daughter-in-law, Jung-Im Min (class of 2005), graduated with a doctorate in the same field.
Mr. Oh revealed, “My two sons have been able to focus on their studies without any financial difficulties thanks to the generous support offered by KAIST. I have always been meaning to return the money that my sons have received, but only recently was I able to forward the money earned from farming.” He continued, “I prefer to say I am returning my sons’ scholarship for future generations rather than I am making a donation. I had a realization that although I would not be able to make the biggest donation ever I would be able to make the biggest donation as a farmer, which made me donate even though it was years after my sons’ graduation.”
The couple hoped that their act of benevolence would inspire others in Korea to follow suit. Mr. Oh said, “Just as many leading universities in the western world are run on the large amounts of donations they receive, Korean universities should benefit from the same kind of culture and practice.”
KAIST currently provides all of its students with 100% scholarships on tuition as long as they maintain a certain cumulative grade-point average in the previous semester. Such financial support is given to the students in hopes that they will be able to focus on their education rather than spend more time worrying about how to fund it.