Kyonggi University was founded on November 8, 1947, when the Joyang Nursery School was established in Yeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. In 1979, it moved to the current Suwon Campus. Now, the Seoul Campus has moved to Ahyeon-dong, Seoul. Most colleges are located at the Suwon Campus, and the Seoul Campus hosts the College of Tourism and Culture. Currently, there are 7 colleges, 42 departments, 8 graduate departments, and 18 majors. The symbolic flower is the yulan, and the chaplain is a juniper tree. “Kiryong,” a character with a turtle body and a dragon’s head, is the school’s mascot. Kyonggi University's founding philosophy is ‘Advance, Lead, Love.’ The educational goal is to be a university where clean, well-employed, Korean minds live and breathe. Educational activities are being carried out with development strategies such as securing excellent teachers and revitalizing research, transparent administrative services, expanding activities with local communities, and establishing a competitive graduate school system. There are about 40 clubs, and sports clubs such as volleyball, ssireum(Korean wrestling), and soccer teams are famous.

 First, let’s explore KGU’s founding philosophy, ‘Advance, Lead, Love,’ which guides students, professors, and employees. ‘Advance’ means realizing the truth, it is the essential mission and purpose. Finding the truth has been the purpose of studying since long ago. The mission and purpose of the university have changed over time. However, people’s duty hasn’t shifted. The method has changed, too. ‘Lead’ means doing our best in every aspect. Members of the university, students, professors, and employees must accomplish their tasks with sincere effort. All tasks are different but everyone has thought about their own because members of KGU should perform their work honestly. If only one person works hard while others do not, KGU cannot grow. Therefore, if everyone who belongs to KGU accomplishes their purpose with a sense of responsibility, then everyone will be better off. ‘Love’ means living with love. It starts with yourself and spreads to other people, the neighborhood, the country, and the world. Loving yourself means self-respect and it can help people succeed in character training and ability development. These are the ways that people can increase their love. Dedication and love are worthwhile when people achieve social evolution and devotion to the nation. They can be helpful in loving other people and the community because these are developed for national love and patriotism. It means that people should provide support so that all nations of the world can live in harmony. To summarize the founding philosophy, ‘Advance, Lead, Love’ means “KGU seeks to investigate the truth, perform obligations faithfully, love and volunteer for society and the country.” If everyone who belongs to KGU does their best in each way, they can help develop not only KGU but also the world. If people wish to enroll in KGU, they should study the founding philosophy, ‘Advance, Lead, Love.’ The pursuit of truth, sympathetic communication, and love are subject to studying and discovering philosophy. Students should complete more than two subjects. These are helpful in studying the truth, accomplishing our duties, and having love for society and the world. Each philosophy does not end in the student’s mind. Instead, it can teach a lesson that continues to achieve recognition in the world.

 Then, what about KGU’s chaplain and deification? KGU’s deification is a yulan, which is known as winter jasmine in English. Yulan visited us with the news of spring. Its flower buds hang like a pure white wedding dress in April. This beautiful flower gives people energy in spite of the spring wind and rain. KGU’s early days were hard because the school was oppressed and it was started at a bad time. However, people who endured suffering chose the yulan as our deification. The yulan symbolizes hope. Therefore, people didn’t give up due to oppression, just like the yulan. You can see and smell yulan around KGU when spring comes. Yulan blossoms at the bench near Building 5 and behind the College of Engineering. How about feeling KGU’s expectancy and hope when yulan blooms? The chaplain is a juniper, which always has blue leaves. Juniper is an intrinsic tree that has power both within and without. It is extremely large, so viewers can sense its grandiosity. Juniper is powerful in spite of hot and cold. It has blue leaves in all the seasons. In winter, everything changes to white but the juniper’s leaves are always blue. Therefore, people can appreciate the beauty in all seasons. Interestingly, is a natural monument surrounding Ulleungdo. It always keeps its place in spite of rain and snowstorms. Juniper is used not only for spices and medicine but also in luxury furniture and in sculpture. It conveys stability and style. This is the figure that people want to emulate. Monoecism, the flower of juniper, has a lovely floral ‘forever scent.’ It resembles juniper because it remains in the same place for hundreds of years. People in KGU should live with a strong mind all the time like juniper. Juniper’s tough spirit and strong mentality can guide KGU. 

 Lastly, let's take a look at the turtle, the iconic animal of Kyonggi University. The turtle is considered one of the four mythological animals along with the phoenix, dragon, and kirin. It has been a symbol of loyalty and faith in fairy tales such as Byeoljubujeon. In addition, it is symbolized by longevity, wisdom, and persistence. This can be confirmed by the superstition that a turtle can ascend to the sky as a kiryong with a turtle body and a dragon's head if it lives for 900 years. Turtles make their homes in large seas with infinite possibilities. Kyonggi University's students' stage should be a world wider than the sea. This symbolic animal can be seen in various places at Kyonggi University. Thanks to 'turtles' in various fields, we can keep on going without losing our beliefs. No matter what frustration hits us, we must show that we stand up without giving up to achieve our goals like a turtle that lives with wisdom and perseverance. If you want to meet goals and face challenges, become a person who goes for your goals without fail, even if it's slow like a steady turtle.

 March is the month that marks the beginning for students. It will be an exciting and nervous month for freshmen who just graduated from high school and have entered Kyonggi University, as well as an important month for enrolled students to plan new goals. Pharos hopes our readers can be inspired and manage their new semester well by knowing the essence of the university.

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

80th Reporter • CHOI JUN HONG • chloi0058@naver.com