Ajou News

NEW Korean speech contest for international students held

  • 2023-06-02
  • 3528


A Korean speech contest was held in commemoration of Ajou University's 50th anniversary. The event was intended to promote a sense of academic achievement among international students at Ajou University, help them adapt to university life, and motivate them in their academic endeavors.


The contest was held in the auditorium of the Yeonam Hall at 11 a.m. on May 3. In attendance were 350 international students, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Kim Kyungrai, Director Kang Shin-goo of the Office of International Affairs, Director Lee Dong Ryeol of the International Education Center, and other university officials.


The event started with an opening address and proceeded with speeches by participants, divided into beginner and intermediate/advanced levels; entertainment; a prize giveaway; and speeches by the winners. The event concluded with photo-taking.

The three groups of participants competed in the preliminary and main events. The preliminary event was judged ahead of the contest by assessing the scripts prepared by the participants. Forty-eight international students participated in the preliminary, 10 of whom took to the stage on the day of the contest.


The topics of the speeches delivered by the students ranged from life in Korea, such as "Korea and My Dreams" and "Life in Korea," to society and politics, such as "Korea's Low Birth Rate Problem," "The Conflict in Myanmar," and "Technological Development and Our Future." 


The judges for the event were Professor of Korean Language and Literature Mun Hye-won, Professor of Global Culture Hwang Sunyoung, and International Education Center Instructor Kwon Ju-yeon, all from Ajou University, who judged the participants on the originality of their scripts, script-speech consistency, appropriacy of vocabulary and expressions, and other qualities. 


The first prize went to Khit Min from Myanmar, who delivered a speech on the conflict in Myanmar at the intermediate/advanced level. Min took away KRW 800,000 in prize money.


The two second prize co-winners were Moe Yati Zaw and Phyo Thu Pyae, both from Myanmar, who addressed the audience under the titles "Technological Development and Our Future" and "Korea and My Dreams," respectively. The third prize was shared by Tran Khuyen Ngoc from Vietnam and Elaheh from Iran for their respective speeches titled "Life in Korea" and "The Scent of Freedom."


When asked for a comment, first prize winner Khit Min said to "please support Myanmar students who are studying hard in Korea under difficult circumstances" and "show continuing interest in the situation in Myanmar."


The first semester of this year marks the all-time largest number of international students enrolled at Ajou University, at 612. They come from 35 countries, including Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, and Indonesia. Ajou University maintains sister relations with 337 institutions and universities in 67 countries.


View the Korean Speech Contest on YouTube