The second all-Korean Russian language contest was held by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies on May 18.
The university’s Institute for Russian Studies organized the second language contest for a range of prizes from Russian language training to air tickets and cash awards.
Teams of two students first had to make a presentation of their impressions of Russia, then semifinalists debated the role of social networks in modern society.
The finalists then debated the role of heroes in their lives. Some participants agreed that each individual is the hero of his or her own life, while others said Korean soccer player Park Ji-Sung represents an example of a heroic life due to his honesty and outstanding sporting achievements.
The contest was sponsored by the Russian Foundation as well as the Russian and Belarusian embassies. The Russian Foreign Cooperation Agency and Russian airline Aeroflot also supported the event.
HUFS students Ahn Yeon-ju and Song Ri-sa won three months of language training in Russia, while Jeong Goh-eun from Seoul National University and Jeong Ye-chang from Sogang University were awarded flight tickets to Moscow.
HUFS students Jin Yun-ho and Im Tae-hyeon won 1 million won ($850) paid by Russia’s Foreign Cooperation Agency.
Hong Yu-seon and Koh Ju-yeong, who are also studying at HUFS, were awarded 600,000 won by Aeroflot.
All finalists were offered a 15 percent discount to study at the Belarusian State University, provided by the Embassy of Belarus.
Russian Ambassador Konstantin Vnukov made an opening speech at the competition organized by the Institute for Russian Studies under the government project “Reconstruction of Russia’s human space: a Korean Perspective.” The event aims to support and reward students’ interest in Russia and its culture.
By Kirsty Taylor (
kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)
