I cover a wide range of stories about Korean society — one of the most dynamic places in the world. To me, journalism means being on the ground, uncovering untold stories and amplifying marginalized voices, especially in an era when AI is reshaping the media landscape. That’s why I’m always here to listen. Tips and stories are welcome — feel free to reach out via email. Before becoming a journalist, I traveled through 24 countries over 702 days, served two years as a military police officer in the Republic of Korea Air Force and later studied filmmaking at the Korea National University of Arts.
Seoul hosts regional round of int'l student speech competition
A poster for the Korean Speech Contest for International Students. The application form and related documents are available via the QR code on the poster. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government
By Park Ung
The Seoul regional preliminaries of the Korean Speech Contest for International Students opened last week and will continue through next Friday.
The grand prize winner will go on to represent Seoul in the national round of the contest. All award recipients will also become eligible for support programs aimed at helping international students adjust to life in the capital.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is now accepting applications, and the winners of the speech contest will be used to select the city’s delegate to the APEC Summit for University Students, scheduled for August in North Gyeongsang Province. The summit is hosted by the Ministry of Education and organized by the provincial government, and is where the finals for the competition will be held.
Applicants must choose one of four topics related to “Studying in Seoul” and submit a written speech using the designated form. Presentations should be about three minutes long. The topics are: "My dream job," "A unique idea to promote studying in Seoul," "My success story as a student in Seoul" and "My most memorable experience while studying in Seoul."
Participants will be evaluated on fluency, originality, grammar and vocabulary, content structure and logic, as well as delivery and expression. One grand prize winner will be selected, along with two runners-up each for excellence and merit awards.
A total of 17 international students will be selected through regional preliminaries across local governments.
Those wishing to compete in the preliminary round on July 3 at the Seoul Global Center in Jongno District can apply by email at lsb0515@seoul.go.kr or inquire by phone at 02-2133-5072/5068.
“As the number of international students in the country surpasses 200,000, Korean is increasingly becoming a second language for many of them,” said Lee Hae-sun, director-general of the Global City Policy Bureau at the city government. “We hope the contest not only empowers those already living in Seoul, but also inspires prospective students who dream of studying here.”