“Korea Is ○○ to Me” — 150 Canadian High School Students Share Their Views on Korea

Approximately 150 high school students from school boards across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), who are studying Korean, participated in a special event exploring the theme, “What Korea means to me.”

Korean Education Affairs Section, Korean Consulate General in Toronto (Director: Jieun Lee) hosted “Korea Day” on March 14 as a pre-event to the 20th Toronto Korean Speech Contest at the same venue. Korean language credit courses* are currently offered in 10 school boards across the GTA, with about 150 students from 8 of these boards participating in the event.

*High school students (Grades 9–12) are required to earn 30 credits to graduate, and Korean is recognized as a credit course.

The event featured a variety of programs, including Korean games, a Korean speech contest, and a student K-pop showcase. All activities were designed to encourage students to express their experiences and perspectives through “K.” In particular, the “Message Tree” activity drew strong interest. Students completed the sentence, “Korea is (  ) to me, because (  )” sharing their personal reflections on Korea.

According to a post-event survey, 98% of respondents said the event increased their interest in learning Korean, suggesting that student-centered programs have a positive impact on motivation.

※① (Emmerson Bath): “Korea is ‘life’ to me, because my interest in Korea helped me overcome one of the most difficult periods in my life. Now, Korea has become my reason for living each day.”

② (Olivia Uong): “Korea is a message to me, because despite enduring many hardships throughout its history, it has maintained a strong culture and resilient national identity to this day.”

The Korean Speech Contest also highlighted how students expressed their thoughts in Korean, demonstrating that the language is becoming an increasingly meaningful option for Canadian youth to engage with new languages and cultures.

※Non-Korean Division 1st Place: Carrie Ma — “Koreans Through My Eyes”Heritage Division 1st Place: Laura Lee — “The Spirit of Korea”

At the end of the event, students raised the slogan printed on the back of the program book, “Speak Your Korea,” in unison from their seats, drawing enthusiastic applause.

Director Jieun Lee of the Korean Education Affairs Section at the Korean Consulate General in Toronto stated, “This event was organized to bring together high school students learning Korean, allowing them to share their experiences and strengthen their motivation to study the language. We will continue to support the expansion of Korean language education in Canadian high schools through various programs and partnerships with related institutions.”