Hong Kongers present their Korean proficiency at city-wide contest
By Kim Bo-eun
HONG KONG ― "It seems to be the case that Korea sees a rise in perfectionists, as in a competitive society, people need to strive to become better versions of themselves to maintain a better-quality life and satisfy one's parents that have invested much resources in them," Wendy Lam, 21, a Hong Konger, says in almost-perfect Korean intonation.
Lam was one of 14 contestants in a Korean speech contest hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong (KCC), Saturday. University students studying about Korea and the Korean language made up the majority of participants, while there were also office workers. The applicants were screened from a wider pool to compete, via scripts and audio recording files.
The participants explored themes such as nunchi ― a "unique" Korean term for the ability to catch others' moods, as well as the communal mind of Koreans reflected in the way they refer to family members as "our" instead of "my."
The contest, which awards the Korean Consul General Cup, marked its sixth year.
"We have seen the level of proficiency improve over the years," said Kim Sun-A, an associate professor teaching Chinese as a foreign language at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who served as a judge on the panel for this year's competition, as well as previous ones.
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| A contestant answers a question from the judging panel during the Korean Speech Contest hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, May 28. Korea Times photo |
The contest only had female participants this year, which reflects the tendency of that gender to develop an interest in Korea, given the main mediums through which they learn about the country are K-pop or K-dramas. But earlier competitions had male participants, some of whom were awarded, including the top prize.
"I think the areas of interest have expanded in recent years ― formerly, Hong Kongers' interest in Korea focused on K-pop, TV shows and food, but there is also a growing interest in eSports and games, especially among men," Lee Kang-soon, a senior lecturer at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)'s Korean studies program, and also another judge, said.
HKU became the first in Hong Kong to offer Korean studies as a major in 2012, after setting it up as a minor in 2009. Several more universities in the city offer Korean as a minor.
Very few students opted for the major at HKU in the beginning, but this has grown to around 20 students a year. Students of various different majors have selected Korean studies as a dual major, Lee said. Once they graduate, many of these students go to graduate school in Korea, while others find jobs at Korean companies in Hong Kong.
Lam is one of the school's students majoring in Korean studies.
"I opted for Korean studies because I like Korean culture," Lam said. She first learnt about the country via boy groups such as Shinee and NCT in her middle and high school years.
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| Participants watch a contestant give a presentation at the Korean Speech Contest. Korea Times photo |
Li Chui Shan, who works for the government, was among the office workers taking part in the contest.
"I decided to take part in the contest, as a challenge, to test my Korean skills," she said. Li studied Korean at a private academy in Hong Kong, studied by herself and also spent three months in Seoul learning Korean in 2015.
"I started studying the language because I wanted to understand what the Korean entertainers were saying on TV shows, not having to rely on subtitles. Now I can listen to radio shows as well," she said.
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| Li Chui Shan talks about the coexistence of traditional and modern buildings in Seoul, which is one of her favorite elements of the city. Korea Times photo |
The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong's director Lee Young-ho said because he was previously assigned to posts in the U.S. and Canada, this provided him some comparison when it comes to interest in Korea. KCCs around the world hold the Korean language contest every year.
"For some countries, you will only see a handful of participants, but the scale of the competition in Hong Kong shows the level of interest in Korea among the people," he said.
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