MANAMA — A 19-year-old Bahraini student has won a Korean-language speech contest after beating 1,918 competitors from 76 countries worldwide.

Zahra Safi reached the finals alongside nine other contestants and on Thursday was declared the overall winner of the competition for the students of the King Sejong Institutes worldwide. A Turkish student, 25, came second, according to the Korean news agency Yonhap.

"Koreans praise others a lot, and they are quick to understand as well as loyal at work," Zahra said in her speech about the characteristics of Koreans, which she learned while learning the Korean language.

"I have developed in a positive way after I learned the Korean language and communicated with Koreans in a manner similar to the Bahraini adage ‘a person is a mirror of whoever he or she meets’,” Zahra said in fluent Korean.

The finalists in the competition are granted the opportunity to study in one of eight universities across the country, starting next year.

First lady Kim Jung-sook presents books and K-pop albums to the institutes from which the two winners graduated.

The competition was open to foreign students at the King Sejong Institutes worldwide and the final was held online in Seoul under the auspices of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the King Sejong Institute.

Named after the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) king who invented the Korean alphabet "hangeul," the institute offers foreigners Korean language courses and Korean cultural activities abroad. — Bahrain News Agen