Warm Memories of Geumjandi Square
In March, the Geumjandi Cultural Festival and the Haeoreum Festival took place on both campuses as they did last year. The festival was held from March 28th to 29th at the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus (HSSC). Various programs were offered under the theme “Deep, Deep in the Mountains, Who Will Come and Play at Geumjandi?” In the event, Kingos opened flea markets and student booths in front of the Business School and Geumjandi Square. A Picnic Blanket Zone was also set up to allow Kingos to watch movies and student performances. In addition, the Bunny & Moon Photo Zone provided a place for students to take photos with its cute sculptures at the back of the square. Various bands and dance clubs, such as LCDA and JDA, hit the stage during the daytime. Oh Gang-bin, the leader of the band LCDA, said, “By performing at Geumjandi, we could blaze our band’s color all over the campus. It was a great experience for me and the team.” Also, Kingos could enjoy the rabbit-shaped cotton candy sold by the student council, SKKUP. Each day, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., after the student booths and performances were over, a film festival took place and screened La La Land and About Time. Looking back on the festival, Ryu Chaewon (Sophomore, Department of Economics) said, “The student performances seemed to have a few problems because the main host was absent. However, the festival’s conceptual events and programs were a lot of fun! Through the Geumjandi Festival, I felt like we, the Kingos, became one.”
One Spring Night's Trip to the Old Sungkyunkwan
After the Geumjandi Cultural Festival, on March 31st, the Haeoreum Festival was held on the Natural Sciences Campus (NSC) at the Global Square in front of the Samsung Library. The festival took two different concepts - the Party of Yusaengs in the daytime and the Confucianists’ Inn at night. Regarding the theme, Park Geun-ah, the 55th student president of the NSC, said, “When planning for the festival, the student council focused on tradition — the unique feature of SKKU. By reflecting on archaic concepts that remind Kingos of Sungkyunkwan Academy, we ought to draw much sympathy from Kingos.” Following the beginning of the Haeoreum ceremony, various events such as “Collect the Yeopjeon” were held, where students could experience traditional plays. The concept that embodies the traditional festival of old Sungkyunkwan was all over the Haeoreum Festival; at the Confucianists’ Inn, SKKUP offered Makgeolli to students for free. In addition, the Master Singer Tournament, a singing competition, received enthusiastic responses as the participants wore traditional masks while singing. As well as these events, performances of student clubs such as B.E.S.T and SMC during the day and night intensified the fever of the festival. “This year’s Haeoreum Festival was something special,” Park Chan-hee (Sophomore, Department of Chemistry) said after enjoying the festival, “Traditional objects such as cheongsachorong (traditional Korean lantern) helped symbolize Sungkyunkwan. The historical vibes totally captivated my heart.”