“I am already curious on what the topic will be for the essay contest. I hope it is not difficult.” (Chistina Ducepyeva, junior in Sofia University, Bulgaria)

European Students who participated in ‘Sungkyun Korean Essay Contest’
Showed off their Korean writing ability with a topic ‘Legacy’
Greeting each other in Korean at the event,
Gold prize winner dreaming is “becoming a professor in Korean”

At 9 am(local time) on Oct. 20, in a hall at the Korean Cultural Center in Vienna, Austria, where Irissee lake could be seen placidly beyond the windows, 35 university students(4 males, 31 females) from 15 European countries gathered. They participated in ‘The 2nd Central and Eastern Europe Countries Sungkyun Korean Essay Contest’ held by Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU). Their official language at the event was Korean. They greeted and talked with each other even whom they never met in Korean. This was because most of them were majoring in Korean studies or have learned speaking and writing with interest in Korea.

With unveiling of the scroll, the topic for the contest was  revealed. It was ‘Legacy.’ And then an explanation by SKKU Prof. Sung Jae-ho(Law), the president of this event, followed. “Be it the many treasures handed down from ancestors or the Cultural Heritage of Humanity like Schönbrunn Palace in Austria, you should express yourself naturally and openly about what you think.”

Taking a pencil, eraser and 5 manuscript papers for 500 characters, students were jotting down with serious looks on their faces. The quiet contest room was filled with rasping sounds of pencils rubbing on paper.

Hena Pumalla (Female, Senior in University of Helsinki, Finland) after making her overview was writing down Korean on papers meticulously. Dillan Varshack (Female, Senior in Ankara University, Turkey), not satisfied with her writing, eraser it, and focused on rewriting. “How much time do I have?” As the end of contest drew nearer, a student raised his hand and asked. After the bell sounded the end of the contest, students exited the room with mixed feelings of hope and regret.

Alishkava Bashcova (Female, Senior in Comenius University) flying from Slovakia said “It was not easy but I tried to put as many words related to legacy as I could.” Mikhail Lebi (Male, junior in Babes Bolyai University, Rumania) said “I have fallen in love with Korea after watching the pianist, Yiruma perform. I really want to visit to Korea next year and enjoy Hallyu at its origin.”

On this day, the women swept at all medals, gold, silver and bronze. Aldemir Jaynep(Senior in Ankara University, Turkey) who got a gold prize, was favorably received by the judges with her essay, ‘The most meaningful legacy.’ ‘Something like behavior, habit, courtesy is much more meaningful than valuable materials. This is because Legacy is not a product which can disappear someday, but something worth forever. For example, in a society where unfairness is rampant, somebody tries to keep fairness and if it becomes an example to others, and this  can be a valuable legacy in itself.’(part of Aldemir ’s essay)

After Aldemir got hooked on Korean dramas like ‘Dae Jang Geum,’ ‘A Man from Another Star’ etc as a middle school student, she went to learn Korean at Sejong Hakdang in Ankara. Her dream is to become a professor in Korean in her home country. The silver prize went to Anna Grebekina (Senior in State Linguistic University, Moscow), and the bronze one went to Nicola Haff (Senior in University of Vienna, Austria). After the contest, the Institute of Translation in Korean Classics gave a lessen in traditional Korean culture for the participants like  literature, jegichagi(a game which players try to hit a small object called jegi with their feet), gonggi(fivestones, a game of marbles) and others. Prof. Lee, Suke-kyu, Vice President of International Affairs in SKKU, said “Foreign students are very  interested and are enthusiastic about Korean culture and language,” so “We will try to hold more events abroad.”

Link to mediat report: http://news.joins.com/article/18909527