Calling K-12 Students: “K-Inspire Voice ”A New Korean Oral Presentation Contest

Jini Shim
Aug 1
2 min read

The K-INSPIRE Voice speech contest is a collaborative initiative organized by three Korean language teachers (Hayoung Cho @ South High, Karyn Lee @ West High, and Seojin Park @ USC). This is a joint event organized by Torrance Unified School District and the University of Southern California for Korean learners from elementary through high school across California. The contest aims to help students enhance their presentation and communication skills, while motivating them to take another step toward their dreams and goals.

The inspiration for this event came from my daughter’s experience participating in a foreign language speech contest at a prestigious university. I thought it would be wonderful to offer a similar opportunity for Korean language learners. After considering this idea for two years, I am excited to bring it to life.

Hosted on the USC campus, the event also serves as an outreach opportunity, introducing elementary, middle, and high school students to USC’s academic community. By participating in the contest and interacting with current USC students enrolled in Korean language courses, visiting students will gain firsthand exposure to the university environment and the Korean studies program.

This half-day event will bring together outstanding Korean language learners from both heritage and non-heritage backgrounds, giving them the chance to deliver oral presentations in Korean. Finalists will compete in two categories—Heritage and Non-Heritage—and will be evaluated by a panel of Korean language educators and community experts based on content, delivery, creativity, and language proficiency.

Detailed information about the contest will be shared in August. I hope to see many Korean language learners participate! Thank you to IKEN for publishing information about this event.

Date: November 1, 2025, Saturday

Time: 9 am - 2 pm

Location: USC Taper Hall

Organizer: Hayoung Jane Cho cho.hayoung@tusd.org

(Summary in Korean)

오는 11월 1일(토) 오전 9시부터 오후 2시까지, 남가주의 USC대학교 Taper Hall에서 ‘K-INSPIRE Voice 한국어 말하기 대회’가 열립니다. 이 행사는 토렌스 교육구(TUSD)와 USC가 공동 주최하며, 캘리포니아 전역의

초등~고등학생 한국어 학습자를 대상으로 합니다.

이 대회는 학생들의 발표력과 표현력을 키우고, 꿈과 목표에 한걸음 더 다가가도록 동기를 부여하는 데 목적이 있습니다. 참가 학생들은 Heritage와Non-Heritage 두 부분으로 나뉘어 발표하며, 내용, 전달력, 창의성,

언어 능력을 기준으로 심사를 받습니다.

주최자 조하영 교사는, “딸의 외국어 말하기 대회 경험에서 영감을 받아 2년간 준비한 끝에 이번 대회를 마련하게 되었다”고 밝혔습니다. 참가자들은 USC의 한국어 수강생들과 교류하고 대학 환경을 직접 체험하는 기회도

얻게 됩니다.

대회 관련 상세 정보는 8월 중 공개될 예정이며, 한국어를 배우는 많은