PRESS RELEASE
No.	PR/21-26	Date	December 20, 2021
Contact	Program Inquiries: Lim Sara, Assistant Officer, IDU (02-2287-1144, srlim@aseankorea.org) Press Inquiries: Kim Hyun-Ji, Senior Officer, IDU (02-2287-1143, hjk@aseankorea.org)
ASEAN-Korea Centre is an International Organization mandated to promote economic and socio-cultural cooperation between ASEAN Member States and Korea.

The Future of ASEAN-Korea Relations as Envisioned by the Youth

- The ASEAN-Korea Centre to hold the 6th ASEAN-Korea Academy Essay Contest Award Ceremony and Webinar -

- Event to take place on December 21 Tue) at 14:00 (KST) via Zoom, link available through pre-registration -

The ASEAN-Korea Centre (Secretary General Kim Hae-yong) will hold the award ceremony and webinar for the ‘6th ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest’ on 21 December 2021 at 2 PM (KST). The event will take place online and participants are required to pre-register (https://forms.gle/Gb3UmwExyQ93PtFx7).

The 2021 ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest was co-organized by the Korean Association for Southeast Asian Studies (KASEAS), Seoul National University Asia Center, and the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, The contest, held between August and November, invited university students of ASEAN and Korea nationalities to submit academic essays under three main themes: 1) the role of the youth in ASEAN-Korea partnership; 2) COVID-19 and building back better through ASEAN-Korea partnership; and 3) ASEAN-Korea cooperation for sustainable development in the Mekong region.

An evaluation committee, composed of professors from the co-organizing institutions, reviewed 129 essay submissions to select 10 finalists, including a Grand Prize (1 team); Second Prize (2 teams); Third Prize (2 teams); and Special Recognition (5 teams). The 2021 Grand Prize was awarded to a team composed of graduate students from the University of Asia and the Pacific (Philippines) for their article, “Ready, Set, Action: The Role of Digital Media Tools in Harnessing Youth Power for Greater Cultural Understanding.” The article was praised for its creative proposals on transforming ASEAN-Korea youth’s mutual perception in an era of accelerated digital transformation.

※ Winners of the 6th ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest

  - Grand Prize (1): ▲ Sophia Mauleon & Alyssa Dalizon (Philippines) from University of Asia and the Pacific

  - Second Prize (2): ▲ Hyungjoo Jeong (Korea) & Hannah Chia (Singapore) from London School of Economics, ▲ Annisa Pratamasari (Indonesia) from Korea University

  - Third Prize (2): ▲ Bui Thi Ngoc Thuy & Nguyen Ha Phuong (Vietnam) from National University of Economics, ▲Claire Lim (Singapore) from Nanyang Technological University

  - Special Recognition (5) ▲ Zepeng Tang & Jun Hao Wong (Singapore) from Nanyang Technological University, ▲ Hirzawati Atikah binti Mohd Tahir & Siti Noor Adillah binti Masrol (Malaysia) from National University of Malaysia, ▲ Rachna Thim (Cambodia) From Royal University of Phnom Penh, ▲ Jongsung Lee & Sobin Cho (Korea) from Chung-ang University & Sungkyunkwan University, ▲ Li Wee Ann & Muhammad Azim bin Mahmood (Brunei) from University of Brunei Darussalam

The Award Ceremony and Webinar on the 21st will invite contest winners and members of the ASEAN Youth Network in Korea (AYNK) to join the event online. Following the Opening Ceremony in the first half of the event, Mr. Apichai Sunchindah (former Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation) will give a special lecture under the theme “COVID-19 and building back better through ASEAN-Korea partnership” This will be followed by a special lecture from H.E. Chung Hae-moon (former ROK Ambassador to Thailand) under the theme “ASEAN-Korea cooperation for sustainable development in the Mekong region.”

The ASEAN-Korea Centre first launched the Academic Essay Contest in 2016 to develop interest and accelerate mutual perception among the ASEAN and Korea youth for future regional cooperation.