Laos, August 16 – Anggita Lintang Herdiwan (2022), a student from the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM, represented Indonesia at the 28th K-Speech World Contest. Prior to this, Anggita had won 1st place at the 22nd K-Speech Oratory Contest Indonesia. With this victory, Anggita was selected as one of Indonesia’s representatives at the 28th K-Speech World Contest.
The competition took place on August 16, 2024, at the Laos National Cultural and Arts Hall, Laos. The event began with a demonstration of oratorical speeches and a performance by Trot President, Lee Seung Yul. The opening ceremony followed with representatives from 20 countries: France, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and South Korea.
The ceremony continued with opening speeches and remarks from the related officials, as well as the announcement of the judging rules.
The speech competition was carried out based on the order drawn the day before, starting with the team category, which had 6 teams, followed by the individual foreign category with 16 participants, elementary school students (9 participants), high school students (6 participants), general public and university students (4 participants), and Koreans living abroad (7 participants). After the judges provided a comprehensive evaluation, a cultural performance from Laos was presented. The event concluded with an award ceremony and closing remarks.
As one of Indonesia’s representatives, Anggita won the 최우수상 award, equivalent to 3rd place, presented by the Ministry of Unification (통일부). Below is Anggita’s reflection:
“It turns out that the hardest part was overcoming our own fear. I didn’t make it this far because of my Korean language skills, but because of my courage to try. The most memorable part here was speaking in Korean with friends from all over the world.” – Anggita, 2022
(Anggita/FDK)