Sodikov Normatjon, an Uzbek alumn of the Global Korea Scholarship program, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, July 24. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
As Korea intensifies efforts to attract and retain global professionals, the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program plays an important role in bringing international students to the country. This is the sixth in an interview series that follows the journeys of GKS alumni, offering insight into how their experiences reflect the opportunities and challenges shaping Korea’s evolving global workforce.
Sodikov Normatjon had an older brother already studying in Korea when he began exploring scholarship options from Uzbekistan. That early window into Korean university life pointed him toward the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) and made the prospect of moving abroad feel, if not easy, at least less uncertain.
"GKS was a life-changing opportunity for me," Normatjon said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. "Studying abroad can bring financial and cultural uncertainties, but the scholarship took away much of that burden and allowed me to focus fully on my studies."
Normatjon arrived in Korea in 2018 and the program has since helped him learn Korean, build a career and start a family in the country.
