KSI Korean Cultural Center, Mexico
hosts the preliminary round
of the 2024 KSI Korean Speaking Contest

> Preliminary Rounds of the 2024 KSI Korean Speaking Contest held on May 21, with a total of 19 Participants

> A Korean Speaking Contest for beginners' class participants conducted to boost learning enthusiasm, with a total of 23 participants

On May 21, the KSI Korea Cultural Center, Mexico hosted the preliminary rounds of the ‘2024 KSI Korean Speaking Contest’. The KSI Korea Cultural Center, Mexico organized this competition into two categories: the preliminary rounds(Division 1) for selecting outstanding learners to represent the KSI Korea Cultural Center, Mexico in the '2024 KSI Korean Speaking Contest', and the 'Beginners' Class Korean Speaking Contest'(Division 2) to boost learning enthusiasm among beginners whose Korean language skills are still developing.
 
 

A total of 42 Korean language learners from the Mexico City area participated in the competition. In division 1, the preliminary rounds of the '2024 KSI Korean Speaking Contest', 19 participants showcased their Korean language skills by sharing their prepared stories on the preliminary round themes, 'My Most Impressive Moment' and 'Special Korean Culture Experiences'. In division 2, the 'Beginners' Class Korean Speaking Contest', 23 participants delivered speeches in Korean on relatively easier speaking topics, such as 'Self-introduction' and 'Reasons for Learning Korean'.
 
 

All participants had 2 minutes to deliver their speeches in Korean on the selected topic. In the first division of the ‘2024 KSI Korean Speaking Contest’ preliminaries, one outstanding learner was ultimately selected.

Diana Janet, was selected as an outstanding learner and awarded a opportunity to participate in the '2024 KSI Outstanding Learners Invitation Training,' expressed her excitement about visiting Korea, a place she had longed to see: "I'm thrilled to be going to Korea, a place I've always wanted to visit." Diana will also participate in the remote main contest held by KSIF between July and August, competing in Korean language skills with KSI learners worldwide. If she advances from the main contest, she will participate in the finals of the '2024 KSI Korean Speaking Contest' during the '2024 KSI Outstanding Learners Invitation Training' in Korea in October. Success in the finals could lead to an opportunity for language training at a domestic university.

Meanwhile, the winner of the 'Beginner’s Class Korean Speaking Contest,' Alexa, remarked, "Although I was nervous, I'm happy to have finished well and won a prize. I will continue to study Korean diligently." She expressed her aspirations for her future Korean language studies.
 
 

All participants spent meaningful time enhancing their Korean language skills and feeling a sense of achievement in preparing for this contest. Those who did not win expressed their continued passion for Korean and Korea, promising to remember this day of friendly competition and to keep studying diligently.

Article by Kim Soo-bin, correspondent at the KSI Korean Cultural Center, Mexico