The Most Beautiful Promise of Humanity
Winners Announced for Essay Competition in Celebration of the UDHR Anniversary,
On August 7th, the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea(NHRCK) held an awards ceremony for an essay competition held in celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) 60th anniversary. The ceremony was co-hosted by the NHRCK and Hankyre 21 as part of a promotional campaign of the UDHR which is recognized as the most beautiful promise of humanity. The essay competition selected 6 winners out of 348 entrants which demonstrate the widespread support and interest from citizens.
The highest honor went to Mr. Kim Sang-Kyu from the Independent Life Centre of the disabled, a public official in Jeju. Ms. Eom Jae-Eun who works at Blue Citizen Solidarity as an activist was awarded the second prize. Following that was Bang Jun-Ho who is a sophomore at Seoul High School, Han Sol who is a junior at Dae-Won Foreign School and Kim Purensaem who is a junior at Hankuk Foreign University high school. Finally, Park Ji-Yeon a 6th grader at Kyunghee Elementary School was honoured for excellent writing.
The Chairperson of the NHRCK, Mr. Ahn Kyung-Hwan, delivered a congratulatory speech. Taking note that it takes much effort and time for the writers to express their own opinion by words, the Chairperson commended the writers for producing work that reached many readers and drew great public response. He also shared his thoughts on each selected essay. He especially noted that those who participated in the competition and the final winners became ambassadors of the work undertaken by the NHRCK and promoters of letter and spirit of the UDHR. Finally, he encouraged them to contribute to create a society where a world of dignity for all is realized.
Prior to the awards ceremony, goodwill ambassador of the NHRCK and novelist, Ms. Kong Ji-Young, shared her opinion on selected writings from the essay competition. She complimented the essay writers for producing work that was greatly inspiring. After listening to the participant’s motivation for writing, in a separate meeting with them, Ms. Kong added that it was very disheartening to see many youth’s goals and ambitions revolving around national tests and secure jobs. However, she was encouraged about the vision and heart of the youth after reading the essays. This raised her hope for the future of Korea. Finally, she commented that she had learned invaluable lessons from them and was thankful for the encounter.
