Multicultural Awards held in festive mood

"Little Psy" Hwang Min-woo, a recipient of the 1st Multicultural Youth Awards, dances to Psy’s “Gangnam Style” during the award ceremony at the Korea Press Center in downtown Seoul, Thursday. The Korea Times hosted the annual awards. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

“Little Psy” Hwang Min-woo and Nigerian Vanessa Ossy were among the recipients of the 1st Multicultural Youth Awards at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday, in recognition of their outstanding achievements in promoting diversity.

Hwang born to a Vietnamese mother and Korean father brought down the house with his performance of Psy’s Gangnam Style.

More than 100 recipients and parents together with dignitaries attending “oohed and aahed” to every stunning dance move he made.

Organized by The Korea Times and supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the inaugural award was launched to enhance cultural diversity and support talented children from multi-ethnic families.

Photos of the Special Jury Award winners Hwang and Ossy were displayed in the lobby of the venue.

Ossy arrived with her family, while “Little Psy” arrived fully decked in tuxedo, with his hair whiffed-up and wearing sunglasses for the show later.

Adrian Lee, an MC working for Arirang TV and himself the son of a multi-ethnic family, and the 2012 Miss Korea second runner-up Kim Yoo-jin hosted the award ceremony. Lee welcomed the beginning of an award promoting multicultural diversity, noting that he has a Korean father and French mother.

Park Moo-jong, president and publisher of The Korea Times, said, “Korea is no longer a homogeneous society but a melting pot of all peoples and that is the reason why we have inaugurated this award.”

Rep. Jasmine Lee of the ruling Saenuri Party, who is originally from Philippines, delivered a congratulatory address on behalf of the ruling party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye.

“I understand the difficulty of living in a strange place. They face cultural differences at home and prejudice against them outside. Multicultural families are now important parts of Korea and I think it is my responsibility to make a country where everyone is happy. I will reinforce support for multi-ethnic families and try to spread awareness on multiculturalism,” Lee said, reading Park’s message.

Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Kum-lae said these multicultural children were global talents to lead the future of Korea. “There are 1.45 million residents from other countries in Korea and they contribute to the dynamicity of Korea with unlimited potential and cultural diversity. We aim to realize a society where diversity is respected. Please support these youngsters so they can grow up healthy here,” Kim said.

The awards were given in five categories ― Ha Up-joon of Jaeneung Ubiquitous High School and Kim Kyung-min of Munsan Girls’ High School were named Outstanding High School Student; Lee Byung-chan of Bonghwa Middle School and Hong Won-joo of Jeonui Middle School, Outstanding Middle School Student; Oh Yi-seok of Chadong Elementary School and Sohn Hyun-joo of Biryong Elementary School, Outstanding Elementary School Student; Jang Geum-sun of Chongju Foreign Language High School and Yongmoon High School volunteer group Habitus, Outstanding Volunteer Group; and Hwang and Ossy, Special Jury Award.

Hwang was the star of the ceremony. Wearing a studded formal black jacket and sunglasses, the boy who appeared on Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video caught the eyes of attendees as soon as he arrived. After receiving the award, he performed the mega-hit “Gangnam Style” with Psy’s signature horse-riding dance and even threw off his shirt, drawing rounds of applause from the audience.

Some 100 honored guests attended the award ceremony, including Uzbek Ambassador Vitali Fen; British Ambassador Scott Wightman; Filipino Ambassador Luis Cruz; Sri Lankan Ambassador Tissa Wijeratne; Brazilian Ambassador Edmundo Fujita; Paraguayan Ambassador Ceferino Valdez; Nepalese Charge d’ Affaires Raja Bartaula; and Nigerian minister Adamu Musa.

“The U.K. has a long history of welcoming people from all over the world and our economy is stronger, culture more rich and environment more vibrant as a result of the contribution of this diverse mix of people. Korea’s political and economic development is a shining example for the rest of the world, and increased awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion can aid social progress,” said Wightman. <The Korea Times/Kwon Mee-yoo>