Creative expression

As part of The Greench, I worked with my partner to develop two environmental solutions, BEACON and BUEL, for the International Youth Cyber Environmental Forum. The competition involved considerably more than presenting an initial idea: we researched the environmental problems we wanted to address, developed our solutions through detailed written proposals, and produced a YouTube video to communicate how they could work in practice. We then entered a period of open evaluation, responding to comments, questions, and criticisms from others and refining and defending our proposals accordingly.

Following the full process, The Greench placed 3rd overall and received the IUCN Korea National Committee Chairperson’s Award, together with ₩100,000 ($72.4 as of Aug 2026) in prize money. The experience was particularly valuable because it required us not only to propose environmental solutions, but also to communicate them clearly, respond to scrutiny, and demonstrate their feasibility.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/mnVVZxLDQII

Nov 2 2024ㅣ지구력 Environment Speech Competitionㅣ₩100,000

Words can inspire, but they also carry responsibility. After speaking about environmental sustainability at the 지구력 Environmental Speech Competition, I was honoured to receive the 최우수상, accompanied by ₩100,000 ($72.4 as of Aug 2026) in prize money.

Rather than treating the award as a personal reward, I contributed the full amount to common&good. It felt fitting that a speech centred on building a more sustainable and responsible future should be followed by a tangible contribution towards creating one.

The experience was also a reminder that meaningful change cannot end with words. What matters is whether those words are followed by action, however small, after the speech itself is over.

Aug 13 2023ㅣSemifinalistsㅣ₩300,000

We reached the semifinals of the 14th YTN-HUFS Middle School Debating Championship, where an unfortunate strategic miscalculation on an economics motion ultimately brought our run to an end just short of the final. Nevertheless, our team was awarded ₩300,000 ($217 as of Aug 2026) in prize money for our performance. When it came to deciding what to do with it, my teammates chose not to divide the money between us. Instead, they offered the entire prize to support common&good. It was especially meaningful that funding for the project came from something we had achieved together, allowing the outcome of one competition to extend beyond debate itself and contribute towards projects addressing inequality.

Aug 29 2023ㅣExcellence and Best English Pronunciation Awardㅣ₩500,000

At the Jeju Youth Pop Song Festival, I performed Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi and received both the 최우수상 (Excellence Award) and the Best English Pronunciation Award. Together, the awards came with ₩500,000 ($362 as of Aug 2026) in prize money, which I contributed in full to common&good. This became one of the project’s early sources of funding, adding ₩500,000 to the pool available for future initiatives.