KF뉴스레터-First Korean Language Olympiad in Russia

First Korean Language Olympiad in Russia

The first Korean Language Olympiad for Students of Russian State Universities was held at Moscow State Linguistic University on May 18-19. The event was jointly organized by the Korea Foundation and the Russian Association of Korean Language Professors.

The 30 student participants in this competition represented 20 universities from all regions of Russia, which offer Korean language programs, including Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, Irkutsk State University, Far Eastern National University, Sakhalin State University, Khabarovsk State University, Novosibirsk State University, Kazan State University, and Ussuriisk State University.

To judge the competition, a 17-member panel was selected from the universities in Russia with prominent Korean Studies programs. The event, which sought to demonstrate the capability of students in various spheres of Korean language, included three sections: oral presentation, written grammar test, and translation of literature, from Korean into Russian.

The opening ceremony featured the Ambassador of Republic of Korea, Lee Yun-ho; Chancellor of Moscow State Linguistic University, professor Haleeva I.I.; President of the Russian Association of Korean Language Professors, Kasatkina I.L.; Director of Moscow KF Office, Lim Chul-woo; President of the Moscow KF Fellowship Association, Leshakov P.S.; and head of the Olympiad organizing committee, Poholkova E.A. The Olympiad was officially opened by the Chancellor of Moscow State Linguistic University, Haleeva I.I., who noted that it was a great honor for her university to host this significant event. She also expressed a hope that the student participants at the Olympiad, who would soon assume leadership roles, will help to further develop Russia-Korea relations.

Korean Ambassador Lee Yun-ho greeted the participants and mentioned that this first Korean language Olympiad was all the more meaningful since the year 2010 represents the 110th anniversary of Korean Studies in Russia (the first Korean language program was opened at St. Petersburg State University) and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Korea. Thereafter, the President of the Russian Association of Korean Language Professors, Kasatkina I.L., remarked that this was a valuable opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the Korean language, which they had acquired from classroom instruction, along with wishing everyone good luck.

The first section included oral presentations. For this, each student prepared a five-minute talk related to a general topic of “Korea Today.” The presentations were evaluated by the panel of judges in regard to: the selected subject, presentation and pronunciation, grammar, and responses to questions. All the students showed a good command of the Korea language, with a large majority of the presentations being informative and thoughtful. After a break for lunch, the participants were given a written test of Korean grammar. And for the final part, the students were required to translate literary excerpts, from Korean into Russian. After a long and demanding day, the participants, judges, event staff, and guests were invited to a celebratory dinner at a Korean restaurant to enjoy Korean food and to share their thoughts about the competition experience.

The following day, everyone attended an awards ceremony, which included the participation of the Educational Attaché of the Korean embassy, Shin Mun-gyu; Dean of the Translation Faculty of Moscow State Linguistic University, Burnatseva Z.K.; President of Russian Association of Korean Language Professors, Kasatkina I.L.; professor of St. Petersburg State University, Kurbanov S.O.; and Moscow KF Office Director, Lim Chul-woo. The proceedings opened with remarks by professor Kurbanov S.O., who described the noteworthy results of the Olympiad event. And of course, the competition winners were announced. The first prize went to Egorova Alexandra (Moscow State University), which included sponsorship of a one-year study program from the Korea Foundation. The second prize was awarded to Gerasimenko Tatyana (Far Eastern National University), who earned a one-week visit to Korea, from the Foundation as well.

For third place, three participants were honored – Yurina Natalya (Novosibirsk State University), Afanasieva Polina (St. Petersburg State University), and Todorova Darya (Moscow State Linguistic University) – who each received valuable prizes. In addition, four special awards were presented to Kim Natalya (Irkutsk State Linguistic University), Kozlova Darya (Moscow State University), Rogova Evgeniya (Irkutsk State Linguistic University), and Sheinin Daniil (Far Eastern National University). All event participants received copies of Koreana, DVDs on Korean culture, and books about Korea from the Korea Foundation. After the ceremony, the participants visited the Moscow Korean Cultural Center.

The first Korean Language Olympiad for Students of Russian State Universities is of great significance to the Korean-studies students and educators of Russia. As such, it was agreed that the Olympiad would be held on an annual basis. The number of universities in Russia with Korean language departments has been on the rise recently in response to the rapid development of Korea-Russia relations. Indeed, students are more than ever selecting Korean language as the major of their studies. Along with serving as a venue for information exchange, the Olympiad showed that students have attained a high level of competency in Korean, which opens the way for these specialists to strengthen the cooperative relations between Russia and Korea, in the very near future.

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First Korean Language Olympiad in Russia

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First Korean Language Olympiad in Russia

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