The awards, given by The Korea Times, are aimed at encouraging students from multicultural backgrounds, who at times experience hardships due to cultural or language barriers.

Park Hye-mi, a senior at Gwangju Dongshin Girls' Middle School, won the special jury award.

Born to a Korean father and a Vietnamese mother, she grew up a bright person despite her difficult surroundings. Although her parents got divorced when she was three years old, she has become an exemplary student praised by teachers and loved by friends.

Park Soo-bin, a senior at Wonil Middle School located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, was honoured as an outstanding student in the middle school category. Born to a Korean father and a Vietnamese mother, Park was recognised for her excellence in self-directed learning and demonstrates exceptional skills, especially in science.

Nguyen Duc Toan, a student at Youngseok High School located in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, won a special award.

Born to Vietnamese parents, Toan has outstanding language skills, speaking fluent Vietnamese, Korean and English. He is playing with the Seoul Spartans U18 as the team’s No. 1 goalkeeper and has enrolled in the Korea Football Association this year.

Seven students from other multicultural families were also honoured for their personal talents and moral qualities.

Lim Mi-eun, a teacher working for Sunil Middle School, and You & Me Happiness Centre, which offers education and support for multicultural families, were picked in the volunteer category.

The recipients were awarded with a plaque and prize money of 1 million won, respectively./.VNA