Korean-Spanish girl wins speech contest in Sofia

Lee Si-eun

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Korean-Spanish girl Lee Si-eun is this year’s grand winner of the fourth Oratorical Contest for Next-Generation Korean Diaspora in Europe, organized by the Confederation of Euro-Koreans (EK)

The event was held at the Hilton Hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Feb. 6.

The contest is in three divisions ― elementary, middle and high school, and multicultural youths.

Participants shared challenges and experiences under themes including “Hangul (Korean alphabet) and Korean Language” and the “Value of Korean Tradition.”

Lee competed in the middle and high school division with a speech about her memory of her grandfather.

She touched audiences’ hearts with a quotation from famous Korean poet Ahn Do-hyun’s “Asking you.” It reads: “Do not kick briquette ashes. Have you ever been a warm person to anyone?”

Forty-three students from 16 European countries competed in the contest.

Lee will receive 1,500 euro in prizemoney.

“Even though they are living in different countries surrounded by diverse environments, upon the occasion such as this competition, we are all in one spirit under Korean,” said Shin Maeng-ho, Korean ambassador to Bulgaria.