Korea Center hosting virtual speech and essay contest, winners get trip to South Korea

Published: April 12, 2021

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Every spring semester the Korea Center-King Sejong Institute in the Office of International Programs hosts a speech and essay contest. The contest is open to all Auburn students, but participants must have prior knowledge of Korean culture and experience speaking Korean. The first place winners of each contest is awarded a scholarship to travel to Seoul, South Korea for 10 days to attend a hands-on cultural camp at the King Sejong Institute and explore the Korean culture through language, cuisine, festivals and more.

The spring 2021 Speech and Essay Contest is May 15 at 10 a.m. on Zoom. Speech contest participants are required to create a 3-5 minute script on one of the following topics: 1) Describe an aspect of Korean culture that is new to you 2) Introduce your favorite Korean word, phrase or grammar feature. Speech scripts are due by April 18 to auksi@auburn.edu, and participants must be able to give their speech in Korean on May 15 via Zoom.

Essay contest participants are required to submit a 2-3 page essay addressing one of the following questions: 1) What tourist destination in South Korea do you want to go to most? 2) What do you believe the most charming aspect of Korean culture is? Essays need to be in Korean and on designated paper provided by the Korea Center. To schedule a time to pick up the paper, email auksi@auburn.edu. Essays are due back to the Korea Center by May 7.

Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners of both contests. First place winners will receive a 10-day all expenses paid trip to Seoul, South Korea. Second place will receive an Amazon Kindle and third place will receive a Bluetooth speaker.

“Participating in the speech and essay contest offers Auburn students an incredible opportunity to expand their knowledge of the Korean language and possibly receive a fully-paid Korean cultural experience,” said Ellie Lee, Korea Center-King Sejong Institute deputy director.

For questions, please email auksi@auburn.edu. Click here to stay up-to-date on the Korea Center-King Sejong Institute’s programming throughout the year.

Submitted by: Kalani Long