(Donna) Seung Hee Kim
Student, Korea International School Jeju Campus
Donna is a fresh(wo)man at Korea International School Jeju. When she first came to Jeju, she had big dreams of studying in a more holistic, less pressuring academic environment contrary to most public schools elsewhere in the nation. However, she realized that the larger cultural influences of the Korean education system still persisted. Everyone told her that only high academic performance equated to success, and divergent, unique ideas of success were met with disapproval. The TEDxKISJeju event inspired her to share her experiences with this rigid societal framework and present solutions for resolving these broad-scale issues.
(Emily) Hyunsoo Noh
Student, Korea International School Jeju Campus
Emily is a Junior at Korea International School, Jeju Campus. She lived for four years in Toronto, Canada. She enjoys listening to music, writing poetry, painting, and spending time with her loved ones. Emily believes that education is the key to social change. She has always been interested in addressing social injustices and problems. This year, she wants to talk about neglect. Emily hopes that working with TED will help her reach and inspire audiences all around the world.
(Jayden) Junhyeok Park
Student, Korea International School Jeju Campus
Jayden is a talented musician at Korea International School Jeju who semi-professionally pursues his musical interest as both a digital and a classical composer. Jayden has been playing the flute since the fifth grade, and he has been awarded numerous prizes including the Certificate of Recognition from Senator John C. Liu. Blending classical and electronic music is the terminus of his artistic career; he wants to create a one-and-only soundscape that no one has heard before. In his TEDx talk, Jayden explores the culture of conformity within the music industry that reduces artistic expression to a commodity.
Hyunjun Lee
Student, Korea International School Jeju Campus
Hyunjun Lee is an inspired 11th grade student and entrepreneur who has strengths in motivating people to persevere through work and play. He has a keen interest in fashion and environmental problems, and is working to change from an unconscious consumer to one who actively contributes to a more sustainable future. As a member of his student council, he is concerned that many students are unaware of how small actions create great impact on the environment. His talk seeks to motivate youth to change their behaviors so humans can create a sustainable environment where all living organisms coexist peacefully. Despite hearing about the environmental crisis we are creating, many people continue to engage in behaviors that harm the environment because they are not aware of the impact of their habits. The point where we become collectively conscious about a topic is the first step to large scale behavior changes.
Minjae Jung
Student, Korea International School Jeju Campus
Minjae Jung previously attended a Korean public school and found the experience to be extremely stressful. This led him to make the bold decision to transfer to an international high school. His time in the Korean education system led him to question the types of critical issues surrounding the system, and to contemplate necessary changes. During his talk, he will highlight the importance of diversifying educational methodologies and the need for students and parents to push back against a culture of educational oppression. A series of traumatic experiences serve as the driving force behind his desire to bring attention and spark resolution to these issues, He hopes that by sharing his experience and insight that discussion will spark in his community about these often ignored issues that are plaguing Korean youth.