Prime Minister’s Essay Writing Competition 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice in Korea.

Questions

To enter students need to write a 1000 word essay on one of the following topics.

Option 1

Imagine you are a young person in New Zealand in 1950 and you volunteer to join Kayforce. Write an autobiography explaining why you volunteered to take part in the Korean War, what you expected it to be like and what it was like and how you felt about the war ending in an Armistice.

Option 2

Imagine that you are a New Zealander who is taking part in the battle of Kap’yong. Write a letter home that starts on 22 April 1951 and finishes on 26 April 1951. In the letter tell the people at home what the conditions are like, tell them about the people you are with and your experiences during the battle.

Option 3

Imagine that you a member of the crew of one of the New Zealand frigates taking part in the Korean War. Write an account of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s involvement in the Korean War.

Option 4

In the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Pusan, Korea part of the inscription on the memorial to Commonwealth soldiers whose burial places are unknown reads: ‘They died with men of other countries fighting to uphold the ideals of the United Nations’. Is this ideal still relevant?

Option 5

The Korean War ended in an armistice making it a war without end. How was this armistice concluded, and what long-term impact has it had on the Korean Peninsula?

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