A promotional poster for the King Sejong Institute Korean Speaking & Writing Contest / Courtesy of King Sejong Institute Foundation
The King Sejong Institute Foundation, tasked with promoting Korean language and culture abroad, will host preliminary rounds for two international competitions through June, the state-run organization said Thursday.
The initiative coincides with the May 15 birthday of King Sejong, the 15th-century monarch credited with the creation of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet.
The 2026 King Sejong Institute Korean Language Speaking and Writing Competition, now entering its 17th year, will challenge participants to articulate their motivations for learning the language and its practical role in their daily lives. In an expansion of its outreach, the foundation has also inaugurated the 2026 King Sejong Institute Korean Culture Competition. This new program invites students to showcase talents in three specific categories: pop dance, traditional music and traditional dance.
Applications for both individual and group entries are being coordinated through local institutes worldwide. Beyond the internal prestige of the awards, the competitions serve as a primary pipeline for the foundation’s broader educational goals, identifying students who demonstrate both linguistic proficiency and a deep engagement with Korea's heritage.
Winners and top finishers from both tracks will be invited to participate in the Outstanding Learner Invitational Program. This immersive itinerary in Korea offers high-achieving students the opportunity to visit historical landmarks and participate in traditional cultural workshops while engaging with fellow learners from around the world.
The foundation expects to host approximately 400 participants in the program this year. The cohort will be composed of 230 students advancing from the language preliminaries and 140 prize winners from the new cultural competition. The remaining slots will be filled by top scorers from the Sejong Korean Assessment and winners of the foundation's Hangeul Day campaign and content contest, marking one of the organization's largest collective gatherings of international students to date.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
