When the Korean band ‘BTS’ was trending in Kerala, a youth in Malappuram quietly explored the learning opportunities in South Korea by surfing the internet while his peers were still tuning into the music.

It was then that the attention of 21-year-old K Danish Roshan of Kottakkal in Malappuram, fell on the Global Korean Scholarship (GKS). By then he had already enrolled for BSc Physics at Malappuram Government College. Nevertheless, he appeared for the GKS scholarship exam in 2021. He failed in his first attempt. But he was determined. However, his second attempt in the following year, with better preparation, saw him emerging with flying colours. Now, Roshan is all set to attend classes in the land of BTS.

All about the scholarship

The scholarship is for a 5-year UG programme which consists of a four-year graduation course and a one-year language learning course. The scholarship is available for students belonging to science, humanities, and business streams. Eligibility is 80% marks for plus-2. Along with it, a note explaining the objective behind attending the course and a social statement asserting the social responsibility of the student is also needed.

The candidates have to undergo an interview after this. Clearing the interview makes them eligible for the scholarship as per the quota allotted to various countries. There is no tuition fee. The stipend comes to around Rs 60,000 per month.

The notification is published in September. Applications can be sent in two ways - either directly to the University or via the South Korean embassy. Roshan, who opted to go through the embassy the first time, took the university option on his second attempt. He applied for the Physics programme at Chungnam National University, Daejeon. After the interview, Danish was one of the nine successful candidates selected from seven south-Asian countries.

Speaking Korean

Roshan had joined a 2-month online class to learn Korean before applying the second time. The language which has 24 letters in it is not that complicated. Words sounding similar to Malayalam words 'amma', 'pullu' etc. are numerous. Now, Roshan knows how to write and read Korean. He also gave focus to extracurricular activities to avail the social statement.

Roshan attended 9 UN courses related to the environment and other subjects. He was a volunteer for the 'one lakh cadre project' of the Malappuram district panchayat and was the chief student ambassador for the state government's Youth Innovators Programme while in college. He also participated in various programmes of the Food Safety department and the space station designing competition of ISRO.

“My aim is to become a theoretical physicist,” says Roshan. He also hopes to become a science entrepreneur. Classes will commence on June 6.