**2015 YKAA Speech Contest Script
"What I want to do in the unified Korea"
- Daniel song (Team ‘Bleu’)
I want to visit places in North Korea, help kids from North Korea,
help Korea became strong,
make North Korea become a better place to live,
and help North Koreans get jobs.
- Jennifer Choi (Team ‘111’)
There are several similarities between the North and the South of Korea. (Ex: Language & History)
However, over time, the number of differences increased such as political governments and education/ culture. In the future, when Korea is united, I would like to visit the northern region of Korea. I want to make up for the lost time.
I want to visit the DMZ and walk past the 38th parallel because I have never been close to these areas and want to remember
these symbols as part of history, not the present or the future. I want to tour the northern region of Korea to
see what happened during the decades of division/ separation. How did they live. What culture prevailed.
One day, I will do all these things when Korea will reunite! And Korea will become one! One beautiful and powerful Korea!
- Sunjin Chang (Team ‘One to One’)
It’s already been the 70th year since our liberation and we have still been separated as two Koreas till this day. Currently, Korea is the only country that is separated in the whole world. Many people have and are still working for the day of the reunification. Some people think that combining the two Koreas is a bad choice, and many think it’s too late. I can’t guarantee that there won’t be any problems after the reunification. There will be a huge political fight between the politicians. We would have debates over who the president should be and also where are capital should be located. These problems will require a lot of time and disagreements, but there are also positive sides to being reunified once again. The north has a lot of resources that have been preserved over a long period of time, and the south has the newest technology to make the best use of those resources. We can grow and prosper to be one of the top countries in the world. There are families that have been separated during the Korean War and have never heard from them ever since. The North Korean Defectors have left their homeland and set off into a foreign country. These people deserve to go back to their homeland in peace. This can only happen through the unification of Korea. People tend to forget that we are from 1 root and that we were once 1 country. Just because we were divided doesn't mean that everything about us is different. We are all Koreans and we are all one. To make this reunification happen, I have set a goal for myself. I would like to become a reporter and work in the news company, so that I can spread the word of North Korea and relay the message of Korea’s reunification to those who don’t know about it, to those who haven’t cared about it and to those who have suffered and to give them hope.
“My Family Immigration Story”
- John Um (Team ‘Bleu’)
Hi, my name is John Um and my speech is going to be about my family's Korean American Immigration story. My story is similar to almost everybody else's, my dad came because of a job.He was offered a job here, and for months my mother and him pondered whether he should take it or not. Despite our family member's protests, he decided to come to America and raise his children there. He decided to move not only because of the economic opportunity, but also because he wanted a better education for my sister and I. Plus, he and my mother decided to come so that I wouldn't have to go to 군대, which I agree with wholeheartedly.
My family's struggles were centered around two things: The new language they had to get used to and the lack of information they had. My dad was familiar with English while my mother had almost no knowledge of the language. So, when they tried to sign my sister up for school, they had to schedule them when my father was available. This was difficult because he had work from 9-6 on weekdays. Not only this, but my family didn't know anything when they moved here. There was no internet or GPS back then, so my parents had to find everything by driving around or using maps. They didn't know where the good schools were, good places to eat, and basically didn't know anything. They also barely knew anybody when they moved here, and since all of our family was and is in Korea, my parents were essentially alone. However, by persevering, they solved their problems and became all the wiser for it.
- Jamie Won (Team ’One to One’)
My mother once told me that she thinks she is more of a generation 1.5 than an actual 1st generation Korean immigrant, and my father is from a self-proclaimed generation 1.75. Both of their parents moved to the U.S. with their families when they were still very young. My paternal and maternal grandparents thought that living in the U.S. would present better job opportunities and a better education for my parents. For my father’s side of the family, perhaps this was true. My paternal grandfather actually knew quite a bit of English before moving, while my dad learned quickly in his middle school in Anaheim, California. My grandfather found a stable job my father was able to attend college at UC Davis and found work as a civil engineer in San Francisco. However, my mother’s side of the family had more difficulty settling in the U.S. Moving straight to San Francisco, my maternal grandparents, knowing little English and American business sense in general, founded a food market business. However, it failed, and my grandparents had to get by working hard jobs. Despite the difficult circumstances of her family, she was still able to become a kindhearted and hardworking person I am proud to be able to call my mother. Having lived most of their lives in America, I am also very proud of the fact that both my parents are very fluent in both Korean and English. However, perhaps this is why my Korean is not nearly as strong as most of yours. But, as part of self-proclaimed generation 2.75, I am happy and thankful to live in a place where I can fit in so well, while still being able to appreciate my Korean heritage.
