Yu hahk saeng. With the economic crisis in South Korea, this word for "overseas student"--formerly a positive connotation--has started to acquire distinctly ambiguous overtones for South Korean students at Harvard.

With the Korean won now half the value it had last year against the dollar, tuition and living expenses have soared for South Korean students studying in the U.S.

South Korean students at Harvard have not escaped the trend.

Jim Miller, director of the Financial Aid Office, said that he thinks about 10 to 12 South Korean students have called for reconsideration of financial aid because of the economic crisis.

Due to the volatility of the current situation, Miller said the office has still not formulated a long-term response.

However, Miller said the office is making some adjustments for the students.

"We're dealing with each one individually, trying to deal with the short-term issue of registration [for the spring semester]," Miller said. "In some cases, we're giving them more time [to pay] than the regular deadline, and in others we're giving them small loans."

A South Korean sophomore, who asked to remain anonymous, said he is seeking financial aid reconsideration.

Though he is already working two jobs this semester, he said that due to the crisis he is now looking for additional jobs for next term.

"My parents couldn't send me much to begin with, but now my father's income in dollars is less than 70 percent of what it used to be," he said.

David S. Bahk '00, another student from South Korea, said that the economic situation in Korea has dominated his conversations with fellow South Koreans.

"When I call my parents [in Seoul] it's the first thing we talk about," Bahk said. "When-ever I meet up with other students from South Korea, it's the first thing we talk about."

South Korean graduate students at Harvard said they are also feeling the pinch.

According to Kyung-Ah Park, a student at Harvard Business School, South Korean graduate students sponsored by international firms or who have some reserves due to having previously worked in the U.S. are relatively unaffected.

But the story seems to be different for graduate students supported by South Korean firms or foundations.