Her prize is a week in Korea, including flights, accommodation and spending money, for her and a parent or companion. “I can’t wait,” she said. “I haven’t been outside Europe before, the furthest east I’ve been is Cyprus.”

Her school will receive a Daewoo multi-

media computer.

“North Korea is in a far worse state than East Germany ever was, which suggests that unification may have even more devastating effects on Korea,” she wrote. “However, the Koreans seem to be a very determined people. I think that perhaps this and the fresh approach of its young people will play a key role in securing change.”

Emma, who is studying for Latin, French and German A-leels - and Italian GCSE - first found out about the competition last year when her father brought home a copy of The TES. She researched for the essay by reading the TES Korea study guide, looking at CD-Roms supplied by the Korean embassy, and checking out Internet addresses in her local library.

The competition’s other prizewinners were:

Group A (13-15) first runner-up: Mark Parry, Hutton grammar, Preston; second runners-up Andrew McIntyre, St Aloysius College, Glasgow and Nicol Catriona, Lockerbie Academy, Scotland.

Group B (16-19) first runner-up Andrew Walker Smith, Hutton grammar, Preston; second runners-up Sarah Varnam, William Farr School, Lincolnshire and Sarah Griffiths, Manchester high school for girls.

The runners-up will receive televisions.