GRANT COUNTY - Grant County Economic and Cultural Exchange is seeking applications for high school students to travel to Gunpo, Korea.

The deadline for the 2009 Korea Youth Exchange program is Jan. 15, 2009. Gunpo is Grant County's sister city.

"We're starting to accept applications," said Administrative Coordinator Carol Green.

Students spend 12 to 14 days in Korea in July, and then host a Korean student in their homes. Grant County participants last year attended a mud festival, visited Gunpo's city council and mayor, learned to cook Korean food and visited the country's demilitarized zone.

To be eligible for the program, students must be in ninth to 12th grade in Grant County. Public school and home-schooled students are eligible, Green noted.

Eight to 12 students will be selected for the program, Green said. Last year, nine students participated.

"We're going to try taking maybe a few more this year," she said.

Green said Grant County Economic and Cultural Exchange wants to give more students a chance to participate. In addition, the interest of Korean students factored into the decision to include more students.

"They have lots and lots of kids that would like to come," Green said.

The program tries to fund the trip with donations, she said. Families are responsible for buying a passport.

Applications are available at www.co.grant.wa.us.

For more information, call Carol Green at 509-760-6141 or e-mail [email protected].