Sogang Student Recognized at Sixth Vietnamese National Press
Awards in Foreign Affairs

▲ Jeon Hyeong Jun, Department of Global Korean Studies (Student of 2014 class)

Jeon Hyeong Jun (2014), a Sogang student from the Department of Global Korean Studies, has been awarded the B Prize at the "Sixth Vietnamese National Press Awards in Foreign Affairs." This award was for his special radio production on the podcast "Xinchào Kimchi (Sour Kimchi)." Jeon Hyeong Jun produced the program with the aim to facilitate communication with Korea's Vietnamese community, who remained isolated from meaningful information during the COVID-19 crisis. The award ceremony was held on July 28 at Hanoi Opera House, in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Vietnamese National Foreign Press Award is sponsored by the Central Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of Vietnam to award journalists in external information for their active contributions to Vietnamese economic development and integration with the international society.

Out of the 1,331 submissions (37% more than in 2019) that were entered for this year's contest, prizes were awarded in the fields of "printed newspaper, electronic newspaper, radio, television, photography, books, video footage, and creative ideas." The award ceremony was attended by Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân, Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Tran Thanh Man, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and other members of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Central Committee of the Communist Party.

▲ The Award Ceremony for the Vietnamese National Press Awards in Foreign Affairs

The podcast "Xinchào Kimchi (Sour Kimchi)" was produced as part of an assignment for Korean Studies in Practice II — a practical course in connection with lecture classes for majors in the Department of Global Korean Studies. Produced with the studio rental funded by the school, the bilingual program was led in Korean and Vietnamese by four students with deep interest and love for Korea and Vietnam: two Korean MCs (Jeon Hyeong Jun, Han Yeo Jin) and two Vietnamese MCs (Le Anh Ton and Pham Thai Thanh Vy) in Korean and Vietnamese.

The podcast was used to broadcast updated information on how to keep safe from COVID-19, along with other practical information for Vietnamese students in Korea, such as for residences, part-time jobs, and student VISA issues. To provide essential information for Vietnamese students to enjoy comfortable living in Korea, the program invited guests to share their rich experiences.

The program was released via YouTube and Facebook, and, to ensure a more intimate and sustainable relationship with the local Vietnamese community, a collaboration was formed with the Vietnamese national radio broadcaster, the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), to be released on the local short-wave signal 105.5mHz on Sundays.

▲ Podcast recording of "Xinchào Kimchi"

Xinchào Kimchi's Creator Jeon Hyeong Jun says, "I'd like to go on to diversify additional programs to connect Korea and Vietnam, not losing our hold on the core value of 'interactive communication.'" Commenting on the prize itself, he added, "I believe that our recognition in Vietnam is credited to the fact that the program is not a unilaterally Korean production but an interactive production where Korean and Vietnamese languages work interactively as one."