14 students honored at multicultural youth awards

By Kang Seung-woo

Fourteen students from interracial backgrounds were honored at the eighth Korea Multicultural Youth Awards, Thursday, for their exemplary achievements.

The award ceremony was held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul and attended by about 100 people ― the award winners, their family members and dignitaries including Gender Equality and Family Minister Lee Jung-ok, foreign ambassadors to Korea, award judges and representatives from the awards' sponsors.

The awards, organized by The Korea Times, aim to encourage biracial children living here who at times struggle due to cultural barriers and discrimination.

The grand prize went to Kim Jae-ryeol, a sophomore at Hyunpung High School in Daegu. The 18-year-old, born to a Korean father and a Chinese mother, was recognized for his personality and academic achievements.

“It is my honor to receive such a glorious award and I thank my family, school teachers and acquaintances for supporting me,” Kim said in his acceptance speech. “Using this award as a source of momentum, I will try my best to realize my dream.”

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon sent a video message to congratulate the winners, saying each one of the students were “precious citizens of Korea.”

“We are living in a global era when people of all countries live in one community. Korea is no exception,” Lee said. “But there are some barriers that remain, and we have to remove them. To do so, together we need to care about one another.”

Minister Lee said, “Living with people who are different from me is not a zero-sum game but a win-win one. I believe we can move forward for a community of peace when we respect diversity and guarantee the dignity of everyone.”

Saying that the ministry has carried out various projects supporting children from multicultural families, she added that the government will pay more attention to help those children realize their dreams.

Lee Byeong-eon, president-publisher of The Korea Times, said multicultural children need to be nurtured into talented individuals who can lead Korean society in the future.

“I am confident the award winners will play a crucial role in the country's transition into a multicultural society where all people can live in harmony,” he said.

Chief judge Kim Joon-sik said, “Some applicants showed excellence in academic performance, arts or sports, while others were fluent in two or three languages including the mother tongue of their parent who is from another country.”

Each of the 14 winners received 1 million won in prize money and a plaque. The award had new sponsors this year, BMW Korea, EONE-DIAGNOMICS Genome Center (EDGC) and the Multiculture Museum. The winners have been invited to the BMW Driving Center on Yeongjong Island and the museum.

The awards for outstanding high school students went to Kim Hwa-mi from Incheon Yeil High School and Kim Ya-na from Kwangil High School in Gwangju.

Park Su-an from Incheon Yeil Middle School and Jin Min-ho from Gimcheon Jungang Middle School

in North Gyeongsang Province, were awarded in the middle school division.

Oh Ye-jin from Ido Elementary School on Jeju Island and Kang Hye-in from Gamcheon Elementary School in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, were the two winners in the elementary school category.

Hahn Hae-lim from Baeksin Elementary School in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, won the Semoon Chang Award for her linguistic talent in Chinese. The award was named after Chang, the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies who has written columns for The Korea Times for 19 years.

Kang Yun-ho from Suseong Middle School in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and Kim Eun-soo from Seoul Aero Business High School were the recipients of the inaugural BMW Korea Future Fund award and EDGC award, respectively.

Oteri Sarang from Seoul Misung Elementary School and Lee Kwang-an from Hae Mill School in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, won the special jury award and the Asian Friends Hope Scholarship, respectively.

Lee Hyeon-ju from Seongju High School in North Gyeongsang Province and Yoo Hee-jin from Gochang Girls' High School in North Jeolla Province won the outstanding volunteer awards.

The ceremony wrapped up with a special performance by Dream Key10z, a group of talented Filipino-Korean children aged eight to 15

Other dignitaries participating included Honduran Ambassador to Korea Virgilio Paredes Trapero, Peruvian Ambassador Daul Matute Mejia, Indian Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, Russian Consul Denis Abdrashikov and Vietnamese first secretary Trinh Minh Duc.