“미국에서 자라나는 청소년들
에게 우리 한국의 역사와 문화, 인
물을 공부하게 하여 한국에 대한
올바른 인식과 자긍심을 갖게 함
으로써 한인으로서의 정체성을 더
크게 길러주자”
대뉴욕지구 경기여고동창회
(회장 강용진) 산하, 경운장학회
■ 결선진출상-1
(회장 곽인영)는 2025년 5월 3일 (토) 오후 1시(미 동부시간) 맨해 튼에 있는 코리아 소사이어티에서 제15회 영어웅변대회를 화상 및
대면 하이브리드(hybrid)로 개최 했다. 올해 주제는‘내가 경험한
한국문화(Korean Culture: My Experience)’였다.
MyExperience’영어웅변대회“큰
참가 대상은 미 전역에 거주하 는 9학년부터 12학년의 한국계, 미 국인 또는 다민족 고등학생으로 신분에 관계없이 누구나 참여할 수 있었다. 참가희망자는‘내가 경 험한 한국문화’를 주제로 영어 글 자수 1,400자 내, 웅변길이는 4-6 분의 원고를 작성하여 경운장학회 로 보내면 경운장학회는 원고를 심사하여 결선 진출자를 선정하 고, 결선 진출자들은 장학회가 진 행하는 스피치 워크샵을 통해 스 피치 코칭을 받은 후, 5월 3일 본선 에서 경합했다. 이번 대회에는 미 전역에서 9학년부터 12학년의 한 국계와 비한국계 고등학생 70여
“Hwaiting!”TheCollectiveSpiritofKorea
Samantha Cho [Tenafly HS, NJ]
Thetenniscourtwasbuzzingwiththeenergyof thwackingballsandsqueakingshoes. The audiencewastense, alternatingbetweengasps andcheerswitheveryhard-foughtpoint. Iwas playingintheStateChampionships, andmyteam neededmetowin. However, Iwasrecovering fromanankleinjuryandplayingahigher-ranked opponent. Theoddswereagainstme, andevery painfulstepwasareminderofthis. Withone gameleft, Iheardwordsofencouragementfrom friends, teammates, andfamily:“Don’tworry Sam,”“Yougotthis,”“Shakeitoff.”Then, amidst theclamor, onewordreachedmyears: “Hwaiting!”Asinglewordthatremindedme, despitethewallofadversity, topushharderand digdeeper. Asinglewordthatheldthe determinationofanentireculture. Iwasgoingto finishthismatch, winorlose, witheverythingI had. ModernKoreanshaveadoptedseveralEnglish wordsintotheirlanguage, suchas“oba”(overexaggerating) and“selka”(cameraselfie). Asan American-bornKorean, I’veheardthese Konglishwordsoccasionallybutalwaysfound themout-of-placehere. Yetamongthese phrases, somehowtheword“Hwaiting,”the Konglishwordfor“Fighting,”hasfounditsway intomyeverydaylife. Thephrasewasadoptedby Koreansasamotivationalcheer, despitethefact thattheterm“Fighting”isnotgrammatically correctinEnglish, orthatthereisnoconsonant fortheletterFinKorean. Despitetheselinguistic challenges,“Hwaiting”hasblendedseamlessly intotheKoreanvernacular, embodyingacultural significancethatgoeswellbeyonditsoriginal meaning. Itisusuallytranslatedas“GoodLuck,” butitmeanssomethingcloserto“Tryyour hardest, we’rebehindyou.”Atitsheart, “Hwaiting”alsoembodiestheConfucianvaluesof collectivespiritandsupport, emphasizingthe importanceofmutualrespectandsocialharmony. Callingitouttoanotherfacingachallengetells themthatyoubelieveintheirstrength, thatyour supportwillpushthemtodotheirbest. Although it’samodernterm, thespiritof“Hwaiting”has deephistoricalandculturalrootstracingbackto Korea’sstruggleforindependence.
Forcenturies, Koreahadbeena battlegroundfor foreignpowers. The collective “Hwaiting”spiritof theKoreanpeople becameanecessity forthemtopreserve theiruniqueculture andidentity. This canbeseenasearly
명이 원고를 제출, 13명이 결선에 진출했다. 경운장학회 관계자들은 “대회를 거듭할수룩 한국에 대해 올바를 인식을 갖게하는 등 교육 적 효과가 크다. 우리 학생들이 학 교에서 배우지 못하는 한국의 역 사, 문화, 상황, 인물, 디아스포라 (전 세계에 진출해 살고 있는 한인 들)을 스스로 공부하는 과정에서
period, theKoreanpeoplecametogetherin revolt, culminatingintheMarchFirstMovement of1919, aseriesofnon-violentprotests. Liberationfinallycamein1945, butwassoon followedbytheKoreanWar, whichleftthenation dividedwithoutinfrastructureorindustry. Outof thishopelesscondition, thefollowingdecadessaw thecollectivespiritoftheKoreanpeoplerebuild theirnation.
Wecanseeexamplesofthiscollectivespiritin governmentinitiativesthatmotivatedthecountry. Startinginthe1960s, thegovernmentcreated severalfamily-ownedconglomeratesincluding Samsung, Hyundai, andLG, allofwhichenforced asterncultureoflongworkdaysandshared responsibility. ThisNeo-Confuciancommunity workethicdrovethesechaebolstoemergein recentdecadesasgloballydominant multinationals. Afterthe1997 Asianfinancial crisis, Koreanscametogetheragaininanational efforttohelprepaythecountry’sdebttotheIMF. Citizensnotonlyadoptedfrugallifestylesand reducedconsumption, butdonatedmorethan225 tonsofgoldworth$2.2 billion. Eachofthese
“…Despitetheselinguisticchallenges,“Hwaiting”hasblendedseamlesslyintotheKoreanvernacular, embodyingaculturalsignificancethat goeswellbeyonditsoriginalmeaning. Itisusuallytranslatedas“GoodLuck,”butitmeanssomethingcloserto“Tryyourhardest, we’re behindyou.”Atitsheart,“Hwaiting”alsoembodiestheConfucianvaluesofcollectivespiritandsupport, emphasizingtheimportanceof mutualrespectandsocialharmony. …“ ThephotoshowsKoreanscheeringfortheKoreanteamwhileshouting“Hwaiting”atthe2002 WorldCup.
asthe10thcenturywhencommunitiesorganized localmilitiacalledRighteousArmiestoprotect theirvillagesagainstChineseinvaders. These RighteousArmiesappearedagainandagain duringtheMongol, Japanese, andManchu invasions, reflectingthespiritofself-sacrificefor thegoodofthenation. Under20thcentury Japanesecolonialrule, Koreanswereexploited fortheirland’seconomicpotentialwhilebeing oppressedsociallyandpolitically. Duringthis
vulnerablemomentsinKoreanhistorysawits peoplecometogetherinselflesssupportoftheir nation. Thiscollectiveresponsereflected traditionalKoreanvaluesofcommunityspirit, hardwork, andsacrifice, layingthefoundationfor itsrisetobecometheworld’s13thlargest economy.
OnceKoreaachievedeconomicstability, it startedtoinvestinculturalpursuitssuchasmusic, entertainment, andsports. Startinginthe2000s
withasurgeofgovernmentsupportforthearts, theKoreanWave, orHallyuphenomenon, was born. Withthesamededicationthatrevitalized theireconomy, Koreashiftedtowardscultural excellence, pavingthewayfortheglobalsuccess ofK-popandK-dramas. Howcouldthese groupsfromsuchasmallcountrygainsuch massiveappeal? Theanswerliesindiligence, teamwork, andcollectiveeffort. K-popgroups suchasBTSorBLACKPINKtrainforyearsto achieveexcellenceasateam, toperform inperfecttandemwithharmonyandcohesion. Inthiscontext, thespiritof“Hwaiting”underlines thenationalefforttoshowcaseKoreanartistic creativitytotheworld. Theterm“Hwaiting” resonateswithmepersonallyaswell, bothasa sourceofmotivationandareflectionofmy family’svalues. Mymotheralwayssays “Hwaiting”toencourageme, whetherbeforea test, skirace, tennismatch, orpianoperformance. It’sironicthatshe, aKorean-bornimmigrant raisedinAmerica, embracesanAmericanterm reimaginedbyKoreans! It’sevenusedamongmy American-borncousinstocheereachotheron. Althoughweuseitalmostjokingly, asmostofus don’tevenspeakKorean, theunderlyingmessage remainssincere. Mygrandparents, who immigratedtotheUnitedStatesin1973, openeda retailstoreandworkedtirelessly14 hoursaday, 7 daysaweek, sacrificingforthefamily. Thiswork ethichasbeenpasseddowntotheir5 children and13 grandchildren, alllivinginTenafly. With thisjointeffortacrossmultiplegenerations, we’ve createdanetworkofsupportthatencourages individualsuccesswhileupliftingthefamily. Asatermrootedinbothtraditionand modernity,“Hwaiting”resonatesinmylifeasa strongmotivatorthatisdeeplyconnectedtomy personalfoundations. Forme, it’sthespirited cheersofmycousins, it’smymomsayingitwitha smileasshedropsmeoffatschool, andit’sthe silentsupportofmygrandparentsandthe generationsbeforethem. Inmycommunity, it’ s thehoursthatIvolunteertosharemyloveof tenniswiththelessfortunate. Inmyacademics andmusic, it’sgoingtohagwonorstudyingand practicingeveryday. Inmyathletics, it’sthe supportI’membracedwithatthestartgateofa ski raceandbetweenpointsinatennismatch. Thespiritof“Hwaiting”hashelpedme overcomeadversityinallthesepursuits, shaping bothmyidentityandambitions. Ibelievethese valuesareuniversal, inspiringperseveranceand collaborationinanycontext. Thinkingbackto thatdayattheStateChampionships, Ilostthe matchintheend. However, Iwalkedoffthecourt knowingthatIgaveitmyabsolutebesteffort, supportedbymyfamilyandfriends, nomatterthe outcome.
