The French Embassy awarded 23 Korean students with scholarships in Seoul on Tuesday for postgraduate education in France.

The Blaise Pascal Scholarship will provide expenses for students already pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in French universities.

“Because the embassy is helping me, I am really happy that I was able to receive this opportunity and am really thankful,” said Hong In-hye, who plans to study French literature.

Over 150 students applied for the Blaise Pascal scholarship this year through which the French government provides both tuition and medical insurance for the students.

The beneficiaries of the program receive a roundtrip plane ticket plus monthly living expenses of up to 1,070 euros ($1,315)

Those in master’s degree programs will be covered for 12-24 months, while students seeking doctoral degrees will receive a year’s scholarship.

Eighty-six students have received the Blaise Pascal scholarship since it was launched in 2005.

The program encourages talented students from Korean universities to pursue postgraduate degrees in France and build positive relations between the two countries.

The French government, through the embassy in Seoul, has been providing scholarships of excellence to Korean citizens for more than 55 years, and over 1,650 Koreans have been supported by the French government through scholarship programs.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)