Essay Contest: Kim Ku • 5.18 • Korean American Community
In commemoration of the 29th anniversary of 5.18 People’s Uprising and the 60th anniversary of the death of Kim Gu, the Korean Resource Center (KRC) is sponsoring an essay contest to remember the spirit of civic participation and justice.
Eligibility
- Identify as a Korean American and is currently a student at an undergraduate college or university.
- Demonstrate financial need.
How to Apply
All applications must be submitted by mail (900 S. Crenshaw Blvd., LA, CA 90019), email (krcla [at] krcla.org) or fax (323-937-3526) no later than June 12, 2009 by 5 PM. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. For questions, please contact Dae Joong Yoon at 323-937-3718 or dj [at] krcla.org. To apply, please follow the steps below:
1.Fill out the application form.
2.Read the late Kim Gu’s article, “What I Want Our Nation to Be.” In 500–1,000 words (12 font), write an essay where you describe “The Community I Want.” You can choose a theme from the article that resonates with you and describe its relevance and significance to the community you envision. What are the values that your community is based on and why are these values important? It may be either in English or Korean.
Award
Two awardees will receive a scholarship of $500 each. An independent Selection Committee will review the essay and announce the awardees by mid-June 2009.
Background Information
May 18 People’s Uprising was a defining moment in South Korea’s history; it was the political moment that sparked the movement for democracy in Korea and human rights in Asia since the early 1980’s. The Korean Resource Center’s founder, Yoon, Han Bong, escaped from South Korea after the Uprising and came to the U.S as a political asylee and dedicated his life to laying the seeds for a burgeoning grassroots Korean American progressive movement.
Kim Gu (August 29, 1876 – June 26, 1949) was a nationalist and a proponent for a self-sufficient independence. A unification movement activist, he led the Donghak independence movement before moving to Manchuria seeking refuge from the Japanese Army. After the March 1st movement, he participated in the Korean provisional government in Shanghai. He was elected as president of the provisional government in 1944. After the liberation of Korea, he opposed the separate government proposal of South Korea and North Korea, arguing for a unified Korea, but was assassinated by Ahn Doo-hee in 1949. His essay “The County I Want…” continues to resonate today as a vivid and attainable vision of a society that fosters peace, justice and the “beloved community.”