Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

“I have come to love Korea, and even married a Korean woman!”

The Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (hereinafter referred to as KATUSA) of the Eighth United States Army held a Korean public speaking contest for its soldiers at the multi-purpose theater in Yongsan base in Seoul, on October 5 celebrating the upcoming 570th anniversary of Hangul Proclamation Day.

This year marked the 16th Korean public speaking contest, introducing the excellence of the Korean language to the U.S. Forces Korea. As a pre-event, there was a fan-making session using Korean calligraphy which provided a precious opportunity to showcase the artistic value of the Korean language.

In addition to Korean-American soldiers and other soldiers with a certain level of expertise in the Korean language, of the active soldiers belonging to the Eighth United States Army, 8 soldiers of the U.S. Forces Korea participated in the contest after passing the preliminary round, which was held over 15 days in Seoul, Dongducheon, Pyeongtaek and Daegu.

The soldiers gave a three-minute speech covering topics such as their first impression of Korea, how they felt when they saw the Korean army, the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance and more.

Corporal Sulsona Isaac, who talked about his experience of Korean traditional culture in the contest, said, “I had thought that I would leave Korea behind when my tour of duty was over, but Korea completely changed me through my experience of its traditional culture. Today, I have come to love Korea, even married a Korean woman.”

Chairman of KATUSA Veterans Association Kim Jong-wook, who sponsored the contest, said, “We are able to understand each other’s culture through language, and based on that understanding, we can also reconfirm the Korea-U.S. alliance. I hope everyone remembers that KATUSA has always been at the center, mediating between the Korean and the U.S. Forces Korea.”

Meanwhile, there was an English speaking contest as well, with 8 Korean middle school students who have learned English from the volunteer classes provided by the U.S. Forces Korea or KATUSA soldiers.

By Seok-Jong, Lee < seokjong@dema.mil.kr >
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