Last September, the first autumn festival ‘Kwiryongje’ was held at Kyonggi University. Various departments and clubs from Kyonggi University opened their own characteristic booths and bars. In addition, students’ stages and celebrities’ performances livened up the mood of the autumn festival. Here is a review from Pharos of the newly updated ‘Kwiryongje’.

 Pharos reporters personally checked out the booths. Here are the top two booths that we visited. First, we visited ‘Barun Mentor’. They sold frozen beverages, coke, and popcorn chicken for a reasonable price. Not only Pharos reporters but also many students visited Barun Mentor’s booth to try the excellent food. The next booth that we visited, was UNIVE.US. Kyonggi University’s students made the unive.us program in person. This program is like an application that allows people to meet and enjoy the festival together. In the festival, they held a meeting system. They sold beverages that looked like the universe. At this festival, a food contest was held. The students who operated a food booth participated in this contest. The international trade department, ’Musseom’, won this contest. They sold cockle bibimbap, fried pork cutlets, and other delicious food. All bars were filled with people who enjoyed the festival. Due to the bars, students could drink and get more excited. Many clubs performed on stage. The dance club ‘Guest’, cheering squad ‘Gubooksun', and the hip hop club ‘DNP’ performed like professional artists. They heated the atmosphere before the artists hit the stage. Students could feel the performer’s effort because they showed their passion. Before the performance started, Kyonggi University’s president and directors made a speech for the students. They congratulated the first Kwiryongje and had supportive words for the students. Many artists performed at this festival. Dynamic Duo, Baek A Yeon, Fromis_9 and Davichi graced the first Kwiryongje. From ballad to K-pop, they entertained the crowd. Their performances were perfect for enjoying the festival. Many students had a good time during the performances. The first Kwiryongje ended successfully. Kyonggi University created incredible memories. They enjoyed their youth at this festival.

 Exchange Student’s Review 

 As an exchange student, it was my first time joining a university festival. Unfortunately, we don’t really have anything similar at my home university in Germany. I had only seen these festivals on TV so I had no idea what to expect. I was most excited about the artists that came to perform. On the first day, Dynamic Duo came to perform for the students, and I was surprised by how many students knew all their songs. I was familiar with their music, but I saw people in the crowd singing every word of every song. The atmosphere was incredible. On the second day, Fromis_9 performed, and the reaction of the people was insane. There were more male students than female students in the audience and to my surprise, some people brought the girl groups’ official lightstick and most people even knew the fan chants. I had a great time since I knew all the songs that they performed, but it was a bit hard to see between all the tall guys and raised phones. On the last day, I decided to not stand in the middle of the crowd and just enjoy the performance from afar with some of my friends. The female duo Davichi performed, and their voices were amazing! Overall, the performances were a memorable moment during my exchange program, along with some amazing food and time I spent with my Korean friends and other international exchange students.

 Bada Student Council 

 Pharos interviewed the Bada student council about the performance. They said they worked on branding the Kyonggi University’s festival. They produced the goods by themselves. Bada student council held a contest to choose the name for the festival. Students voted for the name ‘Kwiryongje’ and this name symbolizes Kyonggi University. They answered that it was hard to select artists because of the artist’s schedule and Chuseok. But they made the best decision they could so that students could enjoy their performance. They solved the problems from the last festival like smoking zones and vehicle control. The Bada student council said that they appreciated the fact that the students enjoyed the festival and they will prepare well for future events.

 Students 

1. Which booth did you enjoy most?

 Many students enjoyed various booths. The booth street was always crowded. Pharos asked which booth students most enjoyed with a sticker survey. ‘Jichyuachyu’ was selected as the best booth. Jichyuachyu got 22 stickers. Students who chose Jichyuachyu said the ice cream was so delicious. ‘Huigwang’ was the next best booth. It received 21 stickers. Students answered that they made good memories at this booth while taking photos. ‘Barun Mentor’ got 14 stickers. Students who tried this booth said they had to experience delicious frozen beverages and coke and popcorn chicken. People who joined in this survey said they were satisfied with the booth. There were various other booths that participated like number matching, throwing balls, a jewelry market, and various food. Students will look forward to the next festival’s booths. The next festival will be better than this first Kwiryongje. 

2. How satisfied were you with this first ‘Kwiryongje’?

 Pharos asked the students how satisfied they were with the festival. A total of 113 Kyonggi University students participated in the survey. 41 students answered ‘very satisfied’, 33 students answered ‘satisfied’, 25 students answered ‘normal’, 6 students answered ‘dissatisfied’ and 8 students answered ‘very dissatisfied’. As a result, the most common response from students was ‘very satisfied’. The first Kwiryongjae finished well. Students who enjoyed the festival look forward to the next Kwiryongjae. The next Kwirongjae will probably be even more satisfying than the first Kwirongjae.  

 Thus, the first Kwiryongje ended splendidly. Various booths attracted our eyes and mouths, and various bars added to the romance of the college festival. Even though it was the first updated festival, the organizers got a positive response from most Kyonggi University students. It is the result of the hard work of Bada student council that planned all parts of the festival. The second Kwiryong je in 2024 is expected to be even better through improvements. We wish for the continuing success of Kwiryong je!

79th Reporter • CHO SEO YUN • jeoyum@gmail.com

80th Reporter • KIM YU JIN • yujinkim627@gmail.com

International Reporter • AIMEE WOLF • aimeewolf98@gmail.com