Winners of Student Reporter Contest recognized at ceremony

Winners of the Korea Times-ETS Student Reporter Contest pose with award plaques at an award ceremony at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Wednesday. Representatives of the sponsors of the event and judges also participated in the ceremony to congratulate the winners of the competition. Students submitted videos in which they selected a news item and reported about it in English. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

By Jeon Yae-wool

The winners of the 2022 Korea Times-ETS Student Reporter Contest received awards for their outstanding achievements at a ceremony at the Korea Press Center, Wednesday.

A total of 56 students from middle and high schools as well as universities across the nation were recognized for their creative work in the competition.

This year's student reporter competition called on applicants to submit a video report on any issue or subject they regard as newsworthy ― whether it be a person, social issue or personal experience.

The Korea Times has been hosting the annual event, sponsored mainly by ETS, the creator of the TOEFL iBT® test, to help students improve their English proficiency and gain journalistic experience by reporting on various issues through the medium of video.

Jay Kang, director of Academic Relations of ETS Korea, congratulated the winners on their outstanding achievements.

"Personally, the passion and competency the students showed through their selection of the news items and the quality of the reporting videos had greatly impressed me," he said during his congratulatory speech. "Not only their English proficiency, but also the creativity of their topics and the logic behind their ideas were excellent and brilliant."

Other sponsors of the event include Incheon Global Campus (IGC), the University of Utah Asia Campus, George Mason University Korea and Education New Zealand.

Among the participants in the ceremony were: Incheon Global Campus Foundation CEO Yu Pyung-ryun; University of Utah Asia Campus Chief Administrative Officer Gregory Hill, Dean of George Mason University Korea Campus Robert Matz and Education New Zealand Senior Manager Lee Kyung-ah.

"For students, it must have been difficult to pick a news item and make it into a news video. Still, there were many creative and original works," said Cho Jae-hyon, managing director of The Korea Times. "I hope all the participants in the competition had meaningful experiences regardless of the results."

Two judges also joined the event. They are Korea University Vice President for International Affairs Lee Hi-kyoung and former Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) English News Director Sunny Lee.

The winners received awards in eight prize categories, including the ETS Grand Prize Award, Gold Prize Award, Silver Prize Award, Bronze Prize Award, Education New Zealand Award, Incheon Global Campus CEO Award, Chief Administrative Officer Award and George Mason University Award.

Below are the 56 honorees of the contest and links to their works.

ETS Grand Prize Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: Kim Ji-eun of International Graduate School of English
Team: Ahn Ha-young of Duksung Women's University, Ahn Hye-jun of Ewha Womans University

Middle and high school

Individual: Ko A-ra of Narae Middle School
Team: Jeong Nae-kyoung of Daejeon Foreign Language High School, Jeong Seo-jin of Daejeon Foreign Language High School, Nam Hyung-kyu of Korean Minjok Leadership Academy

Gold Prize Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: An Se-yeon of Seoul National University
Team: Baek In-kyung of Korea University, Cho Gyu-bin of Korea University

Middle and high school

Individual: Lee So-yoon of Daeil Foreign Language High School
Team: Lee Hyun-jin of Busan International High School, Lee Ha-jin of Busan International High School

Silver Prize Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: Nam Su-yeon of Seoul National University
Team: Song Sun-woo of Korea University, Kim Ji-hyeon of Korea University

Middle and high school

Individual: Kim Kyung-won of Daean Girl's Middle School
Team: Lee Chae-won of Incheon International High School, Han Ga-eun of Incheon International High School

Bronze Prize Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: Shim Yun-jung of Kyung Hee University
Team: Na Yoon of Hanyang University, Shin Yoo-bin of Hanyang University

Middle and high school

Individual: Jung Ha-jin of Saemmul Christian Academy
Team: Yoon Seul-bi of Sajik Girls' Middle School, Lee Chae-won of Sajik Middle School, Lee Ye-dam of Sajik Girls' Middle School

Education New Zealand Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: Kim You-su of Hannam University
Team: Do Ji-hwan of Yonsei University, Choi Soo-joo of Yonsei University, Hong Yeon-soo of Yonsei University

Middle and high school

Individual: Kim Ji-hyun of Daejeon Foreign Language High School
Team: Yun Da-hee of Incheon International High School, Koo Ja-hyeon of Incheon International High School, Hwang Ji-yeon of Incheon International High School

Incheon Global Campus CEO Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: Kim Jun-hong of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Team: Lee Si-won of Yonsei University, Park Jun-ha of Ewha Womans University

Middle and high school

Individual: Park Han-seul of Korea International School, Jeju Campus
Team: Kim Jeong-woo of Yeo-Myeong Middle School, Yun Dong-hyeon of Sajik Middle School, Yang Jun-seo of Sajik Middle School

Chief Administrative Officer Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: Song Min-kyeong of Catholic University of Korea
Team: Chun Tae-hyun of Korea University, Moon Ji-hyun of Korea University, Kang Yun-yeong of Korea University

Middle and high school

Individual: Park Hyun-seo of Maetan Middle School
Team: Hyun Min-woo of Sajik Middle School, Kim Min-seo of Sajik Middle School, Park Sung-woo of Sajik Middle School

George Mason University Award

Undergraduate and graduate

Individual: Lee Yu-jung of Kyung Hee University
Team: Jang Ye-jun of Sungkyunkwan University, Lee Ga-young of Korea University

Middle and high school

Individual: Park Hyun-seo of Bangbae Middle School
Team: Oh Eun-chae of Incheon International High School, Kim Ye-young of Incheon International High School, Jeon Hye-won of Incheon International High School