Winners of 14th Global Korea Awards — 1

Outstanding elementary school students

Leading with responsibility, sharing tradition through music

Myeong Soo-min

Born to a Cambodian mother and a Korean father, Myeong Soo-min is a fifth grader at Geumsan Elementary School in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and hopes to become a traditional Korean musician.

Myeong has performed as a member of a children’s arts troupe at the Chuncheon Cultural Center and joined cultural exchanges abroad, including performing at a children’s arts festival in Toyama Prefecture in Japan. Through exchanges with youth ensembles from abroad, Myeong has broadened his outlook and strengthened his communication skills for the international stage.

Beyond his artistic activities, he regularly joins volunteer programs, putting care and cooperation into practice. With these diverse experiences, Myeong hopes to share traditional Korean music with audiences around the world.

Multilingual child dreams of saving lives

Shrestha Mondal

Born to Indian parents, Shrestha Mondal is a second grader at Gwangnam Elementary School in Busan’s Suyeong District and a multilingual speaker fluent in Korean, English, Hindi and Bengali.

Known for her warm leadership, she supports classmates and helps create an inclusive and cooperative learning environment.

Mondal has represented cultural diversity through public speaking at events such as the U.N. Peace Festival and the International Day of Yoga.

She maintains strong academic performance while exploring artistic interests in dance, music, painting and instrumental performance. In 2023, she was listed in the India Book of Records for delivering the highest number of topics in a single speech as a child. Having overcome esophageal atresia, Mondal now hopes to become a pediatric surgeon and help others.

Outstanding middle school students

Curious student explores global landmarks

Kim Eun-woo

Born to a Korean father and a Chinese mother, Kim Eun-woo is a second-year student at Jinsan Middle School in Bupyeong District, Incheon, who shows strong curiosity and steady participation in both academics and school activities.

Interested in world architecture, he has researched major landmarks around the world and presented their historical backgrounds and construction styles to his classmates.

In April, he earned an excellence award in an upcycling proposal contest, and in May, he received a school commendation for exemplary filial conduct. Also passionate about sports, Kim has represented his class in the 50-meter relay and encouraged his teammates during tug-of-war events.

With a strong interest in geography, he gave a presentation on the limestone formations of Dodamsambong Peaks — a trio of iconic rock pillars in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province — to inspire his classmates.

Balancing languages and athletics

Ryu Seo-yeon

Born to a Korean father and a Chinese mother, Ryu Seo-yeon is a second-year student at Lausanne Collegiate Incheon and has shown steady determination in both language studies and sports.

Ryu earned several awards in bilingual speech contests, demonstrating her passion for Korean, Chinese and English and turning her multicultural background into a strength.

After failing her school’s physical test, she trained daily and later earned an A+ in physical education — a testament to her persistence and love for sports.

Ryu also channels that persistence into kayaking. Despite suffering painful hand injuries during training, she completed an 8-kilometer canoe marathon in 2024. This year, she won first place in the two-person inflatable canoe race at the National Marine Sports Games.

Outstanding high school students

Guiding peers through service and leadership

Kim Hyun-jin

Born to a Korean father and a Vietnamese mother, Kim Hyun-jin is a second-year student at Kwangdong High School in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, who hopes to become a youth counselor.

For the past four years, he has played a leading role in Korea 4-H, a youth organization active in agricultural and rural communities, taking part in planning and managing programs.

In his second year, Kim helped establish the Gyeonggi Province student 4-H representative council and was elected its inaugural chair, coordinating agricultural and environmental projects with representatives from 21 cities and counties.

With more than 236 hours of volunteer service and experience in cultural exchanges with youth from Vietnam and Jordan, Kim continues to pursue his goal of helping others.

Advancing science through teamwork

Park Si-yeun

Born to a Korean father and a Chinese mother, Park Si-yeun is a third-year student at Hansung Science High School in Seoul’s Seodaemun District and hopes to become a forensic genetics researcher.

As the leader of her laboratory team, Park has shown strong responsibility and collaboration skills, notably improving the yield of an aspirin synthesis experiment through coordinated problem-solving.

Park has earned Levels 3 and 4 of the Chinese Proficiency Test and uses English to analyze scientific topics, demonstrating her ability to explore research across languages.

With persistence and a thoughtful approach, she tackles setbacks by identifying causes and refining her methods. Her sense of responsibility and care for others has made her a key contributor to her school’s science lab projects.

Global leadership (university students)

Linking global perspective with tech-powered development work

Andrua Haque

Born in Korea to Bangladeshi parents, Andrua Haque is a Master of Science candidate in Agricultural Biotechnology and FoodTech at Seoul National University and hopes to become an international cooperation specialist advancing inclusive development.

Having lived in Australia, Brunei and Kuwait during his school years, Haque developed a multicultural perspective rooted in coexistence and mutual understanding.

At SNU, he has served as a class-year representative, supporting international students through exchange programs and advocacy activities. Haque has also mentored youth facing identity-related challenges.

As a co-founder of two startups — one that upcycles shrimp byproducts in Bangladesh into pet food and biochar, a charcoal-like material used for soil improvement, and another that connects Korean public technologies to Bangladeshi development projects — he has worked on ICT-based development cooperation.

Defector builds bridges of understanding

Ju Ye-bom

Born in North Korea and having left the country with her parents at age 15, Ju Ye-bom is now a senior majoring in psychology at Sogang University in Seoul’s Mapo District.

Drawing from her experience adapting to life in the South, Ju mentored middle school students from multicultural families and helped them gain confidence through personalized guidance.

Ju founded a discussion club where young people from North and South Korea and multicultural backgrounds participate without disclosing their origins, creating a safe space for open dialogue on Korean Peninsula issues. She has also engaged with institutions such as New York University and the YMCA, interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and embracing cultural differences.