[Provided by Hosandae University]
[Provided by Hosandae University]

Hosandae University held the "2026 Korean Language Festival" — a Korean-language speech contest and short-form video competition — on Friday at the university's integrated cultural center seminar room, marking the 100th anniversary of Hangul Day.

The event brought together international students from Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Indonesia, Myanmar, Colombia and Uzbekistan, creating a forum for cross-cultural exchange.

The speech contest was divided into beginner and intermediate-to-advanced divisions based on participants' TOPIK levels.

Contestants spoke on a range of topics — their personal interests, experiences living in Korea and the country's fast-paced "ppalli-ppalli culture" — showcasing the Korean skills they had worked to develop.

The accompanying short-form video competition invited students to capture their Korean-language learning journeys and cultural experiences in brief clips, with entries reflecting a wide range of creativity and individual expression.

The momentum from the on-campus event carried over into an external competition.

On Saturday, a Nigerian student named Michel from Hosandae University won an excellence award at a Korean-language speech contest for international students held at Yeungnam University, organized by the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province chapter of the Hangul Society.

"I applaud the students who have consistently taken on the challenge of learning in an unfamiliar language and culture," Hosandae University President Kim Jae-hyeon said. "I hope they will continue to communicate with the wider world and grow through the Korean language."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com