Jeju National University Continues Scholarships for 14th Year with Late Lee Si-hyang’s 2 Billion Won Donation; 210 Students Supported

【Financial News Jeju = Reporter Yong-bok Jeong】 The late Dr. Lee Si-hyang, a businessperson of Jeju origin who lived in Japan, has continued to express his love for his hometown through scholarships for students at JNU for 14 years. From 2013 through this year, a total of 420 million won has been awarded to 210 scholarship recipients. Since his father’s death, his eldest son, Lee Sang-hoon, has visited Jeju every year to carry on his wishes.
According to JNU on the 11th, the university held the 14th Dr. Lee Si-hyang Scholarship Certificate Presentation Ceremony in the president’s reception room on the fourth floor of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Building the previous day. It presented scholarships of 2 million won each to 15 students, totaling 30 million won.
The event was attended by JNU President Yang Deok-soon; Lee Sang-hoon, CEO of World Trading Co. and the late donor’s eldest son; Kang Moon-jong, director of the Office of Student Career and Employment; Lee Sang-mook, director of the Office of Management Innovation; and Kang Dong-ho, chief secretary, among others.
This year’s scholarship recipients included Lee Ye-rim, a third-year student majoring in Animal Biotechnology in the Department of Biotechnology at the College of Life Sciences, along with 14 other students. The recipients also included students from Hangyeong-myeon in Jeju City, the late donor’s hometown, and graduates of his alma mater, Jeju Jungang High School.
The Dr. Lee Si-hyang Scholarship Program began in 2005. A scholarship fund was established in accordance with the late donor’s wish to nurture talent that would contribute to national and community development. Since 2013, it has provided 2 million won annually to 15 JNU students.
Through this year, 210 students have received scholarships over 14 rounds. The cumulative amount distributed is 420 million won.
The scholarship program is based on the late donor’s substantial contributions to the university’s development fund. Since 2005, Dr. Lee has donated a total of 2.01 billion won to the university through the Lee Si-hyang Scholarship Fund and other funds.
Jo Eun-joo, a fourth-year student in the Department of Journalism and Public Relations at the College of Social Sciences who represented the scholarship recipients, expressed her determination to grow into a person who gives back to society the support she received. Jo said, "I will grow into someone who can promote JNU so that the purpose and meaning of this scholarship do not change," adding, "I will remember the help I received and strive to become someone who has a positive influence on others."
The scholarships embody the history of first-generation Jeju residents in Japan giving back to their hometown.

Born in 1937 in Dumo-ri, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City, Dr. Lee moved to Japan after graduating from Jeju Commercial High School and built a business there. He worked as a business executive, serving as CEO of World Trading Co. and Takara Kogyo in Japan, among other positions.
After achieving success in business, he devoted himself to supporting his hometown of Jeju and the community of Korean residents in Japan. He served as president of the Kanto Jeju Residents’ Association in Japan and as chairman and head of the Tokyo headquarters of the Korean Residents Union in Japan, contributing to solidarity within the Korean community in Japan and exchanges between Korea and Japan.
He also continued to support his hometown. He contributed to the construction fund for the Hangyeong-myeon office, typhoon relief donations, and the Kim Man-deok Sharing Event, while also donating a large development fund to JNU to help educate future generations.
Support for Jeju from first-generation Jeju residents in Japan is also one chapter of Jeju’s modern history. According to Jeju Island, from the 1960s through the 2000s, first-generation Jeju residents in Japan provided 45.267 billion won through 9,533 contributions, including support for water, electricity, and roads; construction of village halls; and donations of citrus seedlings.
Dr. Lee’s scholarship program is another example of support from the Jeju community in Japan for its hometown being carried forward through education and talent development.
In 2010, Dr. Lee received an honorary doctorate in business administration from JNU. In recognition of his contributions to Korea-Japan friendship, the Korean community in Japan, and the development of his hometown, he received the Moran Medal of the Order of Civil Merit, the Geosang Medal of the Order of Sport Merit, the Jeju Island Culture Award, and the Gold Medal of Merit from the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS), among other honors. He died in Japan in 2017, and his ashes were buried in his hometown of Dumo-ri, Hangyeong-myeon.
After his father’s death, his eldest son, Lee Sang-hoon, has continued the scholarship program. Lee served as president of the Kanto Jeju Residents’ Association in Japan and now works as its standing adviser. He visits JNU every year around the time the scholarships are awarded.
Lee has said that his father hoped JNU would grow into a cradle for nurturing talent that contributes to the development of the community and the nation, and that he intends to continue the scholarship program.
The scholarships, awarded without interruption for 14 years, have become a link through which the next generation carries on the first-generation Jeju residents in Japan’s love for their hometown. The 2 million won scholarships given to JNU students demonstrate the enduring connection between Jeju and the Jeju community in Japan across generations.


[email protected] Yong-bok Jeong Reporter