The city of Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province said Thursday it has selected 375 students living in areas affected by noise from Gimpo International Airport as recipients of this year's scholarships.
A total of 885 students applied for the program—491 high school students and 394 college students—with competition rates of 3.3 to 1 for high school students and 1.8 to 1 for college students. As a result, 150 high school students and 225 college students were ultimately selected, receiving scholarships of 500,000 won and 1 million won per person, respectively.
The total project budget came to 300 million won, an increase of 218 million won from last year. Korea Airports Corporation covered 75 percent of the funding, with Gimpo City covering 25 percent.
Selection was based on a comprehensive evaluation of factors including length of residence, whether applicants lived in a noise-control (nearby) area, and family type. By residential area, Pungmu-dong had the most recipients at 195, followed by Gamjeong-dong, Gochon-eup, Sau-dong, and Bukbyeon-dong. Long-term residents of noise-control areas and children from families with two or more children accounted for a high proportion of recipients.
The city posted the selection results on its website Thursday and plans to pay the scholarships to applicants' registered accounts on the 30th.
"This is a customized support policy designed to provide practical help to students facing difficult educational conditions due to noise," a Gimpo City official said. "We will continue to pursue policies that residents can feel firsthand and realize the value of coexistence with the local community."
