On November 13th, the 5th Sookmyung English Debate Competition was held in the Samsung Convention Hall in the Centennial Building. The first competition was held in 2005, and there were four consecutive competitions annually after that. The 5th competition ran this year as a competitive debating in English by the General English Program Center & General Education Institute. It recruited participant teams of three people in early October. Then, 16 teams qualified to participate in the first round of the contest. Each qualifying team was mentored by a native speaker professor. The first round, quarterfinals and semi-finals were held on dates preceding the final round. After the final round, prizes were awarded to the top teams. Kim Myeonghui, professor in the Department of TESL, who attended the debate competition, delivered a congratulatory address, “This competition provides students with an opportunity to think about various important social issues. I hope more students will participate in the Sookmyung English Debate Competition in the future.” Lee Jeonghyeon, Division of Business Administration ̓12, a member of the winning team, stated, "The debate competition introduced me to a nice mentor, Joshua Yoon, and taught me great teamwork skills. I will never forget our preparation time and also this time of being awarded. I hope Sookmyung English Debate Competition, which was restarted this year will be continuously held each and every year."
