Ilayda Asimgil was the runner-up at 2019 KSI Korean Speech Contest, completed language training at the Korean Language Center at Sungkyun Language Institute and an exchange student program at Korea University. Ilayda is currently preparing for graduate school to study media while working as a freelance entertainer.

Hello! We very much enjoyed seeing you on . Please briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your experience of being part of a TV show.

(Ilayda) Nice to meet you all, I’m Ilayda from Germany. My grandfather was a Korean War veteran, so that’s how I’m somewhat familiar with Korea. I first came to Korea for travel when I was twenty, and instantly wanted to study here. Luckily, I finished in second place in the KSI Korean Speech Contest one year later, so I was given the opportunity to study Korean as an exchange student in Korea. After completing the program, I wanted to continue living here, so I’ve been studying media for two years now, while at the same time working as a freelance entertainer.

So, although it wasn’t my first time appearing on TV, this time I felt a little bit proud of myself because I was, in a way, representing the entire foreigner population in Korea. I guess I was lucky. These experiences are rare and special, so I’m very grateful to KSIF for providing me with such a great opportunity. I sent my parents the link to watch the show, and they were so excited to see me on TV, telling me I looked like a movie star. My KSI teachers were all very supportive as well, complimenting me on my improved Korean skills.

You seemed like a natural, exchanging jokes with Lucky and setting the tone for the show. We can’t help but think that the professionalism was in part because of your past TV appearances. You are currently working as a freelance entertainer. What kind of TV shows, YouTube channels and modeling have you done so far? Also, as you are at the same time preparing for graduate school to study media, is there a specific goal you are working towards?

(Ilayda) I’ve appeared on the ‘Senior Talk Show - Golden Pond’ on KBS, the ‘All the Events in the Globe’ on SBS Plus, as well as on ‘Star Bridge Universe - Star Bridge Lab’ on MBC. I’ve also done a commercial shoot for T-money’s ‘Korea Tour Card,’ which is designed for foreign visitors. On top of that, I’m working with the Korea Tourism Organization and appear on their YouTube channel from time to time. At the moment, there is a long list of projects I’m working on, including working as an influencer, as well as collaborating with the Korea Tourism Organization and introducing about working in Korea. I used to do all of these for fun, but they ended up becoming a full-time job.

And as for graduate school, I’m preparing to go there because I want to do something that can help connect Korea with the rest of the world. The reason I want to study media is because media is one of the most important industries in the world at present and also because I love the entertainment business. I’ve met so many great people and have had so many wonderful experiences while living in Korea. And I want to be able to share those experiences with more people. Most of all, I enjoy talking to people and opening new doors for them, so I believe media studies would be the perfect fit for me.