The OASIS Programme: The Agriculture Ministry Sends 23 Young Koreans as Interns to International Organizations

Sejong, 26 June 2025 — From July 2025, a total of 23 young people, selected through the Overseas Agricultural Sector Intern Scholarship (OASIS) programme of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), will work as interns in nine international organizations and overseas research institutes, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank (WB), the Investment and Technology Promotion Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO ITPO), etc.

The OASIS programme, which has been in operation since 2018, aims to nurture young talent equipped with global competencies in the field of agri-food products. To this end, the MAFRA sends young Koreans to international organizations, overseas research institutes, overseas companies, etc. involved in the field of agri-food products, and thus provides opportunities for them to accumulate work experience globally. 

Accordingly, on 24 June in Seoul, the MAFRA held a kick-off ceremony for the OASIS programme for the year 2025 before sending the 23 selected young Koreans abroad.

In 2024, the MAFRA sent 21 young Koreans to seven international organizations, including the FAO, the IFAD, the WB, and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL). Sixteen out of the 21 people were recognized for their competencies by five organizations—the FAO, the IFAD, the WB, the FiBL, and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO). As a result, those five organizations gave them opportunities to continue to work as interns by extending the duration of their internship.

From 2018 to 2024, a total of 285 young Koreans completed the OASIS programme. In December 2024, the MAFRA conducted a survey of those who had completed the internship until 2023 to find out their career path. According to the findings, among the 239 respondents, 155 people extended their careers by working as employees in international organizations, government agencies, research institutes, and companies, such as the FAO, the IFAD, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the MAFRA, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), the Korea Institute for International Economy Policy (KIEP), and CJ Foodville.