The list of prize-winning entries in the DNA of the Republic of Korea contest, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has now been announced. The results answer the question, “What do our neighbors in the global community think about Korea and its people?”

A total of 22,243 entries from around the world were submitted by not only Koreans here at home but also by approximately 1,800 non-Koreans from the global community.

Each of the submissions embraced “all things Korean” in three categories: photographs, drawings and video clips. Among them, prizes were given to only 24 works.

The 24 award-winning pieces mirror the image which people from many parts of the world have when they think of the Korean nation and the Korean people.

Some of the works represent images symbolic of Korean traditions, ranging from the Taegeukgi national flag and the national Hibiscus syriacus or mugunghwa flower, through to the Korean Peninsula, traditional Hanbok attire and the Hangeul alphabet. Other entries offered a look at daily life in Korea as can be commonly seen on the streets, such as jeong (정, 情), a feeling of friendliness, affection or attachment. This can be between people or even between the significant contrast and harmony found across the country between tradition and modernity.




Gobayasi Yakiko, a Japanese participant in the contest, submitted one of his photos in the photography category. Yakiko, who lives in Korea with his Korean spouse, captured with his camera an image of the Korean Peninsula being formed in the space between thick, green trees overhanging a path, with the blue seas spreading out beyond. He won the second prize in recognition of his creativity, a work of art that expresses his desire to see a unified peninsula someday soon.

The grand prize in the photography category went to Yoon Seung-hee’s creation that accentuated patriotism. The photo depicts the contestant's own son with a solemn face pointing his finger into infinity, just as the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin standing above him in Gwanghwamun Square is doing.

In the video category, Shauna Granger from the U.S. gained the second highest score with a video clip titled “A Mix of Korea.” Granger appears in traditional Hanbok robes and cooks a delicious bowl of instant noodles. She even performs a short taekwondo demonstration.

The first prize in the video category was given to a joint project by Kim Joo-eun and Le Ju-hyeon. In their video clip they introduce "pure" Korean words, like dodam-dodam, which is used to describe the way in which a child grows up healthy, galmae bit, referring to a dark green color that can look almost black, and, lastly, yoonseul, indicating the ripples glittering in the sun or under the moonlight.

Finally, in the drawing category, the top prize was awarded to Choi Jinah’s creation. It features the neck ribbon of a traditional Hanbok robe, which she intended to represent national unity.

The runner-up prize went to a drawing that portrayed the four trigrams of the national Taegeukgi flag with the yin and yang symbol in the center of the flag printed as the palm of a hand, a statement of allegiance to the nation.



“You can see a common spirit in the creations submitted by contestants, no matter from which generation they hail and no matter what color their skin,” said an official from the international cultural affairs division in the MCST. “This common spirit encompasses both the love of family and happiness among the people.”

Images, drawings and video clips that won prizes can be viewed at the official website for the competition (www.k-playground.kr) and at its Facebook profile (www.facebook.com/koreaourstories).

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr