Global Economic Times

The 30th World Korean Speech Contest to Be Held in Yeoju, Commemorating the 580th Anniversary of the Promulgation of Hunminjeongeum: Global Economic Times Reporter / Updated : 2026-06-07 14:17:30

To be held on October 8th at the special stage of King Sejong's Yeongneung Royal Tomb in Yeoju, gathering representative speakers from 30 countries

- Discussing the future vision of the global village and cultural diversity under the theme of 'Korean Communication and World Peace'

- The Korean national representative selection contest to be held at the National Assembly on July 11th; government awards including the Presidential Prize greatly expanded

An international-scale linguistic and cultural festival is set to take place to promote the unique value of the Korean language and foster the sustainable development of the Korean Wave (Hallyu), marking the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum. Yeoju City and the Korea Speech and Oration Association announced that they will co-host the "30th World Korean Speech (K-Speech) Contest" on October 8th on a special outdoor stage established at the entrance of King Sejong's Yeongneung Royal Tomb in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.

This contest is designed to honor the love for the people demonstrated by King Sejong the Great, the creator of Hangeul, while simultaneously providing a driving force for global citizens to communicate and contribute to world peace through the medium of the Korean language. On the final stage, representative speakers from over 30 countries—including the United States, France, India, Thailand, Ethiopia, and South Africa—who have passed rigorous local preliminaries will gather to showcase and compete with their Korean speech skills, which they have diligently honed.

Korean Representative Selection Contest to Be Held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on July 11

The "Korean National Representative Speaker Selection Contest," which marks the official prelude to the main event, will be held on July 11 at 10:00 AM in the 1st Small Conference Room of the National Assembly Members' Office Building. The competition is open to a wide range of participants, including kindergarteners, elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as university students and the general public nationwide. Speakers who achieve outstanding results through fierce competition in this preliminary round will be granted the qualification to represent the Republic of Korea at the World Korean Speech Contest this autumn.

The core presentation theme of this contest is "Korean Communication and World Peace." Under this overarching theme, participants will freely select and deliver speeches on various social values and global issues, such as: ▲ proposals for preventing safety accidents and natural disasters, ▲ restoring humanity and pursuing values in the AI (Artificial Intelligence) era, ▲ international economic cooperation in the K-Culture era, ▲ strategies for cultural diversity and coexistence, and ▲ global dissemination for a sustainable future.

The contest organizing committee added that creative presentation methods utilizing video materials or props are actively encouraged to effectively convey the speakers' messages. Strict time limits for each category have been established for precise time management. For domestic citizens and overseas Koreans, the time limits are set to within 2 minutes for kindergarten, 4 minutes for elementary school, 5 minutes for middle and high school, and 6 minutes for university students and the general public. On the other hand, for foreign participants, the limits are within 2 minutes for elementary school, 3 minutes for middle and high school, and 4 minutes for university students and the general public.

Prestige and Dignity Elevated by Expanding the Presidential Prize and Government Awards

As this year marks the landmark 30th anniversary, the scale of awards and the prestige of government recognitions have been greatly expanded. The Grand Prize winner, the highest honor of the contest, will be awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Prize along with a cash prize of 3 million KRW. In addition, prizes from the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Prime Minister, as well as ministerial awards from major government branches—including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety—have been extensively prepared, further elevating the contest's international authority.

The event will be conducted with the full support of relevant government ministries and public institutions. Official sponsors include the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Overseas Koreans Agency, the public broadcaster KBS, and the national key news agency Yonhap News. Notably, for real-time communication with Korean language enthusiasts worldwide, the entire live proceedings on the day of the contest will be broadcast globally via the YouTube channel "K-Speech TV."

"Inheriting King Sejong's Spirit of Creation to Develop Korean into a Global Language of Communication"

Lee Sook-jin, Chairwoman of the Korea Speech and Oration Association, stated, "By modernly inheriting the profound love for the people and the original spirit of creation of King Sejong's Hunminjeongeum, we aim to develop Korean into a warm language of communication that connects people worldwide." She expressed her ambitions, adding, "We anticipate that this contest will transcend a simple competition and firmly establish itself as a prestigious international cultural festival where global citizens share the values of peace and cooperation through the Korean language."

Meanwhile, the Korea Speech and Oration Association, which leads the contest, is headed by a leadership board consisting of General President Jung Kab-yoon (a former member of the National Assembly), Chairwoman Lee Sook-jin (who served as Co-chair of UN PEACCO and Vice Chair of the Asia-Pacific Region of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council), and President Kim Kyung-seok. Since its launch in 1996, under the steady support of the government and public institutions, the association has contributed to the dissemination of correct Korean language usage and the development of public speaking culture. The annually held World Korean Speech Contest serves as a pivotal platform for spreading the excellence of the Korean language across the globe and elevating the cultural status of the Republic of Korea.