| Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum / Courtesy of Prime Minister's Secretariat |
You are receiving very special awards today.
Yang Geun-mo, Noh Yeon-kyeong, Jun Blessing, Lee Yu-rim, Wu Zhengxiu, Lee Jeong-in, Ban Jun-hwi, Jo Un-ol, Pak Olga, Han Ga-in and Pyo Yoon-seo ― I congratulate all of you 11 award winners.
I also congratulate and express gratitude to your parents and teachers who have led you as students to these achievements.
I also thank President-Publisher Oh Young-jin and staff at The Korea Times which has provided children with special and meaningful memories for the last 10 years.
On this happy day, I wish I could shake hands with you in person, and it is regretful that I can't do so but instead send my message through this video because of the COVID-19 social distancing rules.
Dear children, Korea now has more than 1 million people from multicultural families. Korea has become an international society of diverse cultures and races. You are citizens of Korea and also citizens of the world.
Despite the changes, you still face many hardships in society. I learned some multicultural families had difficulties in responding to COVID-19 due to the language barrier in the early stages of the pandemic. I heard many students had problems in taking online classes.
We, the government, will make more efforts. We'll take a closer look at such hardships, to create a social atmosphere where difference is respected and where all of you can benefit under the government's policy on multiculturalism.
Thanks to you, the inclusivity and diversity of our society is growing. So each and every one of you are precious for society. The life of children from multicultural families, including you award winners, is a precious gift to society.
The awards you receive today are an expression of gratitude and respect from adults. It is okay for you to be happy and proud of yourselves.
Dear children, you are proud citizens of Korea. Please remember that your happiness is key to the happiness of the whole nation.
We hope you'll grow with more confidence. The Korean government and society will do our best to support you. Congratulations again.
Kim Boo-kyum is the prime minister of the Republic of Korea.