By Honorary Reporter Jeanne.O from Indonesia
Photos= Korean Cultural Center Indonesia

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many worldwide to stay home for safety, but has also inspired creativity in literary and visual arts for those still eager to tap their innovative sides.

Dicapoem is a new poetry format that combines photos (in Korean, the word "dica" is short for "digital camera") and short poetry of up to five lines. The National Institute of Korean Language in 2016 listed the term and the concept has since spread to countries like the U.S., Canada, China, Indonesia and India.

Amid the pandemic and social restrictions in many cities in Indonesia, the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Jakarta and Korea Dicapoem Institute last month held the second Hangeul Dicapoem Competition in the Southeast Asian nation. Held under the theme "Korea-Indonesia Overcome Together," the event sought to support the Indonesian government's efforts to combat COVID-19.

Just like the inaugural event, this year's contest gained major attention from Indonesian fans of Hangeul. KCC Director Kim Yong-woon said in his welcoming speech that more than 200 submissions were received in the two categories of adult and children and teens. Fourteen works were chosen as winners in each category and are exhibited online on the KCC's social media channels.

The grand prize winner in the children and teen category was In Seo-yeon for "Social Distancing."

The grand prize winner in the children and teen category was In Seo-yeon for "Social Distancing."

We're keep practicing social distancing until late night.
On the day when kkamboja (frangipani) flowers bloom,
Let's meet again, dear friends

In his congratulatory speech, Lee Sang-ok, head of the Korea Dicapoem Institute, thanked everyone for participating in the competition despite the pandemic. He also said he hopes the difficult situation caused by the virus is reflected well in each submitted work.

In line with this year's theme, the submitted works mostly expressed how the coronavirus has changed life and hope for overcoming it soon.

For his dicapoem "Virus," Joo Ji-wan earned second prize in the children and teen category.

Because of you, I can't play soccer. 

Because of you, I wear a mask. 

Because of you, I can't go to school. 

I wish to kick you with my soccer ball.

Left: Kim Hyeon-ju, grand prize winner of adult category for "Dongcham (Participation)"
Right: Ju Ji-wan, runner-up in children and teens category for "Virus"

The grand prize winner of the adult category, Kim Hyeon-ju, expressed her support for the stay-at-home campaign through her tender short poem and photo of a cat sleeping peacefully inside a pot titled "Dongcham (Participation)."

Like last year, many Indonesians also won awards in the competition, with 16 of the 28 winners being from the country. "Geokjeongma (Don't Worry)" earned second prize in the adult category for Melisa Fransisca, who urged people not to worry and just overcome the coronavirus together.

The third-place winner of the children and teens category, Chazia Kalisa Jasmine, said in her dicapoem "A Free Bird," "We're stopping for a while, but later on, we'll fly away freely like that bird!"

Left: Third-place winner Chazia Kalisa Jasmine in children and teens category for "Free Bird"
Right: Runner-up Melisa Fransisca in adult category for "Geokjeongma"

chaey0726@korea.kr


*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.