By Honorary Reporter Jarl Loh Yong Kiat from Malaysia

Photos = Jarl Loh Yong Kiat

A classmate told about a terrible trip to Korea in which she and her friends were humiliated. Her story was followed by many hate comments about Korea. Though I felt sorry for her, I also wanted to enlighten people about how wonderful Korea can be. 

I later saw a Facebook post about a Korean speech contest in Malaysia in November. One of the topics that caught my eye was "Changes in my life after learning Korean." I clicked to register for the teen division (up to age 16). The obstacles I had to overcome included lack of experience and resources to compete, but thankfully, I received huge help from Koreans around me that led to me earning a trophy in the end.

The finals of the 2021 Korean Speech Contest in Malaysia were held on Nov. 27.

The first of three rounds in the competition was to submit a three-minute script in Korean. My teacher in the Korean-language class that I had attended for two months offered to help me write the script. Round two was a phone interview. Several days later, I received an email saying I was a finalist and the contest's youngest participant. The division I entered was for those under 16, but I was just 9. 

Within a week after receiving the email, I had to memorize and submit a self-introduction video a minute long in Korean and also practice my speech for the finals. When practicing, an acquaintance of mine offered to help me, Oh Seong-wook, an interpreter for tourists for the Seoul Tourism Association. He and I remained friends since I met him in my last visit to Seoul's Myeong-dong district. He and my Korean-language teacher recorded themselves reading the script and I listened and repeated whenever I had time. 

Roman letters or non-Hangeul methods might make reading easier for non-Koreans, but I found it more useful to practice reading in Hangeul, as I read the words properly and understood the pronunciation better and memorize it faster.

The script I prepared described my experience in Korea and with Koreans, and because it was my own story, my tone, facial expressions and hand gestures all came out better.

The day of the competition saw a chairman and six judges amid a relaxing atmosphere. Because my goal was to share my experience with Korea with the world and not necessarily to win, I just wanted to enjoy competing. This helped calm my nerves and I just gave it my all. Finally, I was announced as the third runner-up.

kalhong617@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.