MOU signed before ESU speaking contest
From left, Ryu Kwon-ha, executive editor of the Korea JoongAng Daily; Charles Hay, British ambassador to Korea; and Martin Tricaud, president and CEO of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Korea, show a trilaterally signed memorandum of understanding for the English-Speaking Union (ESU) KOREA Public Speaking Competition on Tuesday in central Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON]
The agreement was signed four days before the final round of the 12th ESU contest takes place in Ajou University in Suwon, Gyeonggi. More than 1,000 students signed up, the largest number in recent years.
The contest, held biannually each year, is jointly hosted by the Korea JoongAng Daily and the British Embassy. HSBC Korea is the main sponsor.
All three parties agreed this week to make every effort to share information and cooperate for the competition’s improvement.
The British Embassy vowed to participate in evaluating the two Korean students who will compete to become the national representative for the international ESU contest, held in London.
The ESU competitions are held twice each year across four divisions in Korea: lower-grade elementary school, higher-grade elementary school, middle school and high school. Whoever wins an additional speech contest between the two high school winners is named the Korean representative for the London contest.
The embassy also vowed to provide full support for the embassy tour program, provided to all contenders who advance to the final round.
The Korea JoongAng Daily promised to handle overall operation plans for the contest and play a key role in domestic promotion, while HSBC Korea solidified its responsibility as the chief sponsor.
The agreement’s signing on Tuesday was represented by British Ambassador Charles Hay, HSBC Korea President and CEO Martin Tricaud and Ryu Kwon-ha, executive editor for the Korea JoongAng Daily.
For more information about the ESU KOREA Public Speaking Competition, visit www.esukorea.org or contact 02-2031-1295 or 1223.
BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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