Winners of 4th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards

Heo is future ssireum star

Special jury award winner

Heo Yeong-jae

By Kim Se-jeong

• Published Dec 16, 2015 7:01 PM KST
• Updated Dec 16, 2015 7:01 PM KST

Born to a Filipina mother and a Korean father, Heo Yeong-jae, 12, is a future “ssireum” (Korean wrestling) star.

The sixth grader at Wontong Elementary School in Inje County, Gangwon Province, won a gold medal in the 44th National Junior Sports Festival held on Jeju Island in May this year. He was the only gold medalist from his county in this year’s competition.

Heo collected another winning trophy in the 69th National Ssireum Championship in July, and took the second place in another national ssireum tournament in August.

Although living in needy circumstances, Heo has always given his best not only in matches but also in training sessions.

Although a shy boy in school once, he has now become a versatile student talented also in mathematics and football. He also tries to help his friends in group activities and has participated in various volunteer works for neighborhoods in need.

Heo wants to proceed to a middle school in a different area where he can continue to practice ssireum.

Kang is great writer with warm heart

Special Semoon Chang award winner

Kang Se-rin, 16, won the special Semoon Chang award, which is given to students who have a flair for languages.

As one of the best writers of English at Gajwa High School in Incheon, she clearly deserves the honor.

Born to a Bangladeshi father and a Korean mother, Kang has developed her English since she was young. And she enjoys using her talent to help others.

At her school, students exchange letters with children in underdeveloped countries as part of charity programs through World Vision International.

Whenever her classmates want to say about something in their English letters, they look for Kang.

Kang doesn’t just write for them; she helps her classmates improve their English and she enjoys it.

This year alone, she has won two awards for her English ability at school.

Her goal is to become a teacher of English literature. Her school teacher, Lee Dong-hwa, believes this dream is what keeps her motivated.

Proud to be part of multicultural families

Outstanding volunteer

An Hye-jin, the winner of the outstanding volunteer award, is a senior student at Sunsim Girls’ High School in Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang Province, but she is also one of most loved “Teachers” in town.

Over the past three years, An, 18, has been volunteering at a local children’s center as a teacher. Her main task there is to help children from multicultural families grow as healthy individuals in society.

An was born to a Vietnamese mother and a Korean father, so she understands the difficulties of such children well. But she is proud of her cultural background and believes they should be, too.

“He really is a warm-hearted person with passion. She definitely deserves the award,” her school teacher Seo Jin-young said.

Neither her teachers nor the children’s center workers expected her to work so long. When asked why she kept doing volunteering work, An said, “Helping and interacting with children is my biggest passion and joy.”

Group embraces multiculturalism

“Sebakwi Bongsadan” (three-wheel volunteer corps), a student volunteer group in Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, has been recognized for its interactions with interracial families.

The group started as a hobby club for in-line hockey skate. But in 2013, its members started to share their talent with children from multicultural families.

“There were many children from multicultural families in the region. But there were few facilities and programs for them,” Choi Seung-min, leader of the group, said. “So we decided to make one with what we could do.”

The group provides all the necessary equipment, medications and even insurance for those who want to learn the sport.

Over the past two years, their activity has become famous in town, making headlines in local papers.

The members have contributed to raising awareness about a multicultural society through their meaningful activities.

“Volunteers are serious about what they do to promote the values of diversity in our society and they also enjoy it,” Choi said.

Li adapts fast to new culture

Outstanding elementary school student

Li Xiangmin, 11, joined his mother three years ago from China.

He is a fifth-grader at the School of Global Sarang, a private school in Seoul catering to children from diverse backgrounds.

Despite his short time in Korea, he has adapted to the new environment quickly and shown great leadership among his peers, according to his teacher Kim Hyo-seon.

Last year, he was chosen to manage the school’s library. This year, he is serving as the student representative. He speaks Chinese and Korean fluently, and teachers say that helped him build up his leadership skills at school.

Besides his gift for language, he also shows talent in sports and music. He is a member of the soccer club and also plays futsal, or indoor soccer. Last year, he won at a local futsal competition. Li also plays flute for the school orchestra.

As a representative of children with multicultural backgrounds, he shared his thoughts and ideas on child policy in a government-organized forum in May, meeting government officials and civic group members.

He is also interested in science and wants to be a robot scientist.

Gu recognized for handball

Gu Hye-mi, 12, is a gifted handball player.

She is leading the Hanbol Elementary School’s handball team in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. This year, her team was third in the provincial tournament, which is one of countless victories she has achieved over the past three years.

This summer, she was offered an opportunity to join a special handball training trip to Europe by the Korea Handball Federation.

Her teacher Lee Seung-eun said she was quick to show her talent. Her school file is thick with copies of handball prizes. She said she wants to be a national handball player.

Lee saw the potential in Gu. “What’s more exceptional about her is that she is so responsible and diligent,” Lee said. “She is the first one to arrive at training and the last one to leave. She knows what she wants, and she works to get it. I am confident that she will become a national handball player.”

In addition to sport, she is good at English and painting, and reads lots of books, according to her teacher.

She is known for her compassion and leadership among her peers. “She must have been tired after all the training, but she is never late for the morning volunteering project,” Lee said.

Cheong shines in science

Outstanding middle school student

Cheong Kwon-woo, 14, is a student with an innovative mind.

A senior at Cheonho Middle School in Seoul, Cheong won the gold prize at the Student Creative Olympics in September this year, with four other classmates. In March, his team also won gold at the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, an international science contest for students.

In addition to the contests, Cheong has been volunteering at the Seoul Science Park this year, helping visitors in experiments. “I give high credits to Cheong for his willingness to share his talents and knowledge with others,” said Cheong’s teacher, Kim Seong-ju.

His teacher recognized Cheong’s talent in music and art as well. “He is a great guitar player and volunteers to play at school events,” Kim said. Cheong has also shown leadership at school. “He is a leader in his classroom. His positive attitude and high scholastic performance make him a good leader.”

He is a member of a school volunteer group working to clean up school property.

Lee distinguishes herself with languages

Lee Eun-gyeong, 15, has great language skills. She speaks Japanese and Korean fluently, thanks to her Japanese mother.

A senior at Posan Middle School in Daegu, Lee won a prize in a bilingual speaking contest in September organized by Yeungnam Culture Academia, a non-profit organization based in Daegu. In August 2013, she also won a prize at a similar contest organized by Yeungnam University in town. She wants to be an interpreter.

“This changed her a lot,” her teacher Kim Hyeon-ji said. “She became more confident in herself and began teaching Japanese to her friends. And that began to change how students think about multiracial peers at school”

Lee also plays “Janggu” (a traditional Korean hourglass drum) and shows exceptional talent.

She has won seven Korean folk music contests, including the National Traditional Percussion Quartet Contest organized by the Korea Classical Music Association in August, and won prizes in many similar regional contests.

Before that, she won prizes in similar contests organized by the Daegu Metropolitan Government, Daegu Dalseong Office of Education and North Gyeongsang Province.

Now, her sister Dong-hee is her drum partner in the school’s quartet and they practice every Wednesday and Saturday.

Passionate Park dreams of becoming schoolteacher

Outstanding high school student

Park Sora, 18, senior of Busanjin Girls’ High School in Busan, once hoped to become a taekwondo practitioner.

Although she had to scrap her dream due to injury, she started from scratch to look for another dream.

Park started studying a bit late compared to other students because she concentrated on taekwondo until middle school. Despite the setback, Park has impressed teachers and friends with her hard-working spirit and strong will.

She always reviews what she learned after classes. For friends who experience difficulties in understanding lectures, she readily teaches what she knows to her friends. Park also teaches taekwondo to other multiracial children.

Now her dream is to become an elementary school teacher.

Park says she wants to win scholarships and help pay the medical fees for her mother who has problems in her legs.

Cho will act on stage

Cho Lubi, 17, is a student in Jeongseon Information Technical High School in Gangwon Province.

Cho, whose dream is to become a stage actress, has shown her talent in performance through various school events. She also plays in the school’s brass band, participating in a number of local festivals.

As a representative of Jeongseon County’s youth human rights committee, Cho has actively engaged in various local education conferences in a bid to improve students’ human rights.

Her school principal recommended Cho to participate in the Korea-China youth exchange programs to visit China and meet students there this year. She expanded her experiences through the trip to the country.

“She is a warm-hearted student who is always there to help her friends at school,” her teacher Choi Ji-woong said.

Although she lives apart from her parents in a dorm, Cho is always a cheerful and trustworthy student loved by her dormmates. She tries to solve their difficulties in living in the dorm by arranging for the students and teachers to discuss their problems.