Participants and winners of the fifth International Dokdo Essay Contest said Thursday that they hope for more opportunities similar to the contest to get more global recognition of Dokdo as Korean territory.
During an awards ceremony held at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Kim Yoo-lim, the Gold Prize winner, said she was motivated to spread the truth about Dokdo.
"I saw a number of foreigners thinking Koreans were too radical about such small a island. That moment, I wanted to change their perception by showing why Dokdo is so important and what Dokdo means to Koreans," said Kim, a third year Junior High student at Pungsan Middle School in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Kim said she also learned new facts about Dokdo which clearly state it belongs to Korea. "I really had fun writing the essay for the contest. I definitely want to be an ambassador for Dokdo in the future." Kim is planning to donate part of her prize money.
Saurav Ghimire, the Silver Prize winner from Nepal studying pharmacy at Inje University in South Gyeongsang Province, said foreigners can learn more about Korea by studying Dokdo. "Learning the history of Korea always relates to Japan's colonization and thus Dokdo," said the 26-year-old. "By studying a bit of Dokdo's history, any foreigner can understand Korea a lot better."
Akli Hadid, a 30-year-old Algerian student of sociology at the Academy of Korean Studies related the Dokdo issue to his own country. "Algeria, too, was colonized by France until the 1960s. I know how it feels like to be ruled," said Hadid. "I believe other than Western countries, informing African countries about Korea, overcoming colonization and securing Dokdo from Japan's false claims will attract more global attention," Hadid added.
Kim Hak-joon, president of the Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF), said the effort towards Dokdo being Korean seems to have only intensified with the visit of Pope Francis to Korea. "Besides legal documents and evidence that indicate Dokdo as Korean territory, our relentless efforts symbolize Korea's resistance," said Kim during a welcoming speech. "It's also great that the Pope arrived in Seoul today. It is a blessing that we may raise our voices even louder to let the world know."
The Korea Times President-Publisher, Park Moo-jong, hoped for no more Dokdo contests next year. "It is our job to keep working to get global attention that Dokdo belongs to Korea. The contest itself is meaningful, but the reason for the contest should end," said Park.
The NAHF and The Korea Times jointly organized the contest this year under the theme, "The Meaning of Dokdo for Koreans."
The twelve winning works of the contest have been published in a booklet. The publication is also available in an e-book format on Amazon.
During an awards ceremony held at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Kim Yoo-lim, the Gold Prize winner, said she was motivated to spread the truth about Dokdo.
"I saw a number of foreigners thinking Koreans were too radical about such small a island. That moment, I wanted to change their perception by showing why Dokdo is so important and what Dokdo means to Koreans," said Kim, a third year Junior High student at Pungsan Middle School in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Kim said she also learned new facts about Dokdo which clearly state it belongs to Korea. "I really had fun writing the essay for the contest. I definitely want to be an ambassador for Dokdo in the future." Kim is planning to donate part of her prize money.
Saurav Ghimire, the Silver Prize winner from Nepal studying pharmacy at Inje University in South Gyeongsang Province, said foreigners can learn more about Korea by studying Dokdo. "Learning the history of Korea always relates to Japan's colonization and thus Dokdo," said the 26-year-old. "By studying a bit of Dokdo's history, any foreigner can understand Korea a lot better."
Akli Hadid, a 30-year-old Algerian student of sociology at the Academy of Korean Studies related the Dokdo issue to his own country. "Algeria, too, was colonized by France until the 1960s. I know how it feels like to be ruled," said Hadid. "I believe other than Western countries, informing African countries about Korea, overcoming colonization and securing Dokdo from Japan's false claims will attract more global attention," Hadid added.
Kim Hak-joon, president of the Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF), said the effort towards Dokdo being Korean seems to have only intensified with the visit of Pope Francis to Korea. "Besides legal documents and evidence that indicate Dokdo as Korean territory, our relentless efforts symbolize Korea's resistance," said Kim during a welcoming speech. "It's also great that the Pope arrived in Seoul today. It is a blessing that we may raise our voices even louder to let the world know."
The Korea Times President-Publisher, Park Moo-jong, hoped for no more Dokdo contests next year. "It is our job to keep working to get global attention that Dokdo belongs to Korea. The contest itself is meaningful, but the reason for the contest should end," said Park.
The NAHF and The Korea Times jointly organized the contest this year under the theme, "The Meaning of Dokdo for Koreans."
The twelve winning works of the contest have been published in a booklet. The publication is also available in an e-book format on Amazon.
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