[KS] 2007 Korean Literature Essay Contest (UK)

[Grace Koh]

Dear List Members,

Please accept my apologies for cross-posting and if the announcement does not apply to your region. 
I would be grateful if you could pass on this information and application to relevant students who might be interested and to departments who may be willing to circulate the announcement.

Many thanks, 
Grace Koh
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2007 Korean Literature Essay Contest (UK)

LTI KOREA (Korea Literature Translation Institute) will be holding its first Korean Literature Essay Contest in the United Kingdom in conjunction with the Centre of Korean Studies of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

All students enrolled in a programme offered by a UK institution of higher education who are interested in Korea are welcome to participate in this contest.

LTI KOREA is an organisation affiliated with the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism and committed to the promotion and appreciation of Korean literature abroad. This essay contest is one of our key programmes aimed at the introduction and dissemination of Korean literature among overseas readers. It is hoped that this programme will enable participants to acquire and develop a broader view of Korean literature.

LTI Korea has administered the Korean Literature Essay Contest since 2005 with participation from over 10 countries from all over the world. This is the first time that it will be held in the United Kingdom. The subject text assigned for the UK competition this year is _The Guest_ by one of Korea’s most prominent writers, Hwang Sok-yong. The novel was recently published in English translation by Seven Stories Press, with the following description. 

"The Guest is smallpox, an infectious disease from the West that destroyed lives and families. The guest is the twin horrors that Christianity and Communism became when they reached fanatical heights in Korea. And the guest is Ryu Yosop, who visits his homeland for the first time in forty years to face the repercussions of his brother’s actions during the Korean War. Internationally renowned author Hwang Sok-yong brings to life a dark chapter of history, a story of a family’s quest to redeem one brother’s legacy of hate, and a generation’s struggle for reconciliation." (From the cover page of _The Guest_)

This contest is open to all applicants who are currently enrolled as a full-time or part-time student working towards an undergraduate or postgraduate degree or other formal certificate to be conferred by a UK institution of higher education. Applications are welcome from not only students majoring in Korean Studies but also those who would like to know more about Korea and its culture through literature. As this book deals with Korean politics, social struggles and religious issues among other thematic topics which are conveyed through a compelling interweaving narrative, there will be many aspects of the work that can be discussed from a socio-historical and cultural perspective as well as in relation to its literary features and operations.

Three winners will be selected and each will receive a prize – a laptop for the first place winner, a digital camera for the second, and an MP3 player for the third. The first place winner will automatically be entered into a world-wide competition in which three finalists will be chosen and invited to an award ceremony in Seoul.

For further information, please refer to the attached application.		


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Grace E. Koh
Lecturer in Korean Literature
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
Thornhaugh Street 
London WC1H 0XG
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4290
Fax: +44 (0)20 7898 4229
Email: gk5 at soas.ac.uk 
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