IFEZ Journal

IFEZ Community News

At a Glance

IFEZ is home to a variety of communities, 

including UN international cooperation agencies, IGC, 

and the IFEZ Global Center.

Check out the latest community news below!

Listen to Our Beautiful and Special Language

2024 IFEZ Korean Speech Contest  

On October 11, IFEZ (Commissioner Won-Suk Yun) held the 2024 IFEZ Korean Speech Contest for foreign residents of Incheon at G-Tower, Songdo International City. This event was launched in 2021 to promote the excellence of Korean culture and Hangul (the Korean alphabet). This year, the IFEZ Global Center proceeded with the fourth edition of its speech contest.

A total of 12 foreigners from seven countries were selected through the preliminary round to compete in the final while demonstrating their fluent Korean language skills. Each participant chose to prepare a five-minute presentation about either “My life in IFEZ or Incheon” or “Open Topic.” The judges comprehensively evaluated the participants’ expressiveness, content composition, and fluency. As a result of the evaluation, the Grand Prize went to Jahongir (Uzbekistan), who presented on “My Life in Korea,” while the 2nd Prize went to Hwang Hilal (Turkey) and Jeyron (Philippines). Excel Nnamdi (Nigeria), Doris (Hong Kong), and Nguyen Thanh Binh (Vietnam) received the 3rd Prize.

Jahongir, awarded the Grand Prize on the day, shared his experience of adjusting to a new environment and culture as a second-year international student in Korea. In his presentation, Jahongir said he found himself naturally bowing his head to greet people and even talking to himself in Korean. Such changes made him feel that he was adjusting well to his new life abroad. His genuine stories incorporated humor to draw in laughter from the audience.

IFEZ Commissioner Yun said, “Just 20 years ago, this place was all about tital flats, but now it has developed into a city that people from all over the world visit. I hope you can pursue your limitless dreams in the IFEZ, where we stand as one with the belief that ‘Nothing is Impossible’. May this contest serve as a special memory for their experience in Korea.”

Experience National Security and History

DMZ Historical Tour 

for Foreign Residents in IFEZ

On September 6, IFEZ (Commissioner Won-Suk Yun) invited foreign residents in the area to the DMZ Historical Tour. This event represents the second historical experience program organized by IFEZ, following a trip to Ganghwado in May of this year.

IFEZ started recruiting 30 people for this event on a first-come, first-served basis last month. However, as foreign residents showed great interest, IFEZ increased the number of recruits to 50. The participants in this historical tour observed North Korea through telescopes at Odusan Unification Tower, visited tourist attractions like Imjingak (Bridge of Freedom), and rode the Peace Gondola to learn firsthand about national security and history.

The DMZ Historical Tour, as the site of the second edition of this program, saw the participants reflect on the historical tragedy and promote wishes for peace. This event is expected to be an opportunity for foreign residents to broaden their knowledge of the history of the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations and to gain a deeper understanding of Korean culture.

As part of IFEZ’s diverse cultural experience programs for foreign residents, the IFEZ Global Center recently held a cooking class to celebrate Chuseok and is planning other events, such as the 4th Korean Speech Contest (in October) and a kimchi-making experience event (in November).