The Institute, headed by Director Choi Woo-ik, held the award ceremony for the 16th National Russian-Language Debate Competition for University and Graduate Students on June 3 at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Korea.

The ceremony was attended by distinguished Russian representatives, including Georgy Zinoviev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Korea; Aleksandr Yakimovets, Representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in Korea; and Mikhail Ferminov, Deputy Representative of Rossotrudnichestvo. Also in attendance were Choi Woo-ik, Director of the Institute; Kim Yoo-jung, Research Professor at the Institute; Lee Jong-hyun, Professor at Kyungpook National University; Park Jeong-hyeon, Russian Language Instructor at the Defense Language Institute; and Tatyana Shamsutdinova, Russian Language Instructor at the Defense Language Institute.

Ambassador Zinoviev and the other guests congratulated the award recipients on their achievements and commended their dedication and hard work. Following the ceremony, a reception was held, providing participants and guests with an opportunity to exchange views on the competition, Russian-language education, and Korea–Russia academic and cultural exchanges.

Since 2011, the Institute and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Korea have jointly organized the annual Russian-language debate competition with the aim of promoting public interest in Russia and the Russian language while identifying and fostering talented students in the field.

Winners of the competition receive certificates jointly issued by the President of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Korea. In addition, scholarships and airline tickets sponsored by Rossotrudnichestvo and the Korea–Russia Business Council (KRBC) are awarded to the prize recipients.