Korean speech contests to be held in seven countries this month

The Korea Foundation said Tuesday it will hold a Korean-language speech contest in seven countries this month as part of efforts to promote the Korean culture.

The contest will be organized by Korea's embassies in seven countries -- Belgium, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Azerbaijan and Belarus -- in October aimed to motivate foreigners to study the Korean language and promote its culture, according to the foundation, an independent organization affiliated with Seoul's Foreign Ministry.

A series of the October contests are to mark the birthday of the 24-character Korean alphabet "Hangeul" invented by King Sejong (1397-1450) and promulgated in 1446, according to the foundation. South Korea celebrates the Day of Hangeul on Oct. 9, which was launched in 1924 in a bid to preserve the language despite a ban on its use under the Japanese 1910-1945 colonial rule.

So far this year, the Korean language speech contest sponsored by the organization was held in four South Korean embassies, including in Indonesia and Britain, and a total of 22 rounds will take place worldwide by the end of this year, according to the foundation.

"Last year's contests held in India, Mongolia, Malaysia and Belarus brought around 1,700 people combined. This year's number is expected to increase further on the back of widespread popularity of the Korean culture, including YouTube sensation Psy," foundation official Choi Jeong-un said.

"We will expand support for the contest worldwide, as interests in the Korean language and culture are rising not only in Asian countries but in Europe and America as well," foundation chief Kim Woo-sang said. (Yonhap)