Commemorative Photo of Award Winner Yudam Jung from the Department of German Language and Literature

(From left: Wolfgang Angerholzer, Austrian Ambassador; top center: Michael Menke, Professor of German Language and Literature at Incheon National University; bottom center: Yudam Jung, student in the Department of German Language and Literature at Incheon National University; right: Georg Schmidt, German Ambassador)

Yudam Jung, a fourth-year student in the Department of German Language and Literature at Incheon National University, won first place in a writing contest held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Lektoren-Vereinigung Korea (LVK).

This contest, held under the theme “Germany (and the German language) and Me,” was open to German language learners across the country and saw fierce competition with a total of 96 submissions. Jung’s piece, titled “Ein neuer Schwimmfreund: Steffen”, tells the story of joining a local swimming club during her exchange stay in Germany and meeting a new swimming friend there. Her calm yet warm writing style impressed the judges. The LVK panel of judges highly praised the work, stating, “Jung’s essay is exceptionally original in content and provides an engaging and personal perspective on ‘Germany’s association culture (Vereinskultur),’ which is relatively unfamiliar to many Korean students.”

The award ceremony was held on June 6 at the residence of the German Ambassador. The event was attended by Wolfgang Angerholzer, Austrian Ambassador to Korea; Clemens Treter, Director of the Goethe-Institut Korea; and Yoo Soo-yeon, President of the Korean Association for German Language Education, along with German and Korean professors teaching at universities across Korea. The award certificate was presented in person by German Ambassador Georg Schmidt.

In addition to Jung, other students from the same department—Jiyoon Lee, Geon Choi, and Jia Seo—also received awards. The winning essays have been published in the 60th anniversary edition of DaF-Szene Korea, issued by the LVK.