Even though the IWC is over, students’ memories will last forever!

Being Korea’s largest, Korea University’s International Winter Campus 

successfully ends its four-week journey

On January 22, Korea University held its last lecture for students participating in the International Winter Campus (IWC) at the KU CJ Creator Library (CCL). The lecture was organized as a wrap-up session after students’ completed their three-week academic credit courses and one-week cultural immersion experience course.

In her lecture, Professor Ellie Hyewon Lee (Food and Culture Korea), told stories of Korean culture based on hansik (Korean food), discussing the history and geographical location of Korea from the perspectives of foreigners. The basic concepts to profound principles of hansik, including seasoning and fermentation, were covered with the help of various visual aids that drew the students’ attention.

Chung Wing Ya Dora, a student from Monash University in Hong Kong, expressed her high satisfaction, saying, “I truly enjoyed the classes related to Korea of all the classes provided by the IWC. I was very impressed by the way the professors conducted student-centered classes. Moreover, skiing on snowy slopes with new friends allowed me to make great memories. I would like to thank KU for what it did to make our journey a memorable one.”

Sam Linberg from the University of Minnesota in the US added, “I am currently studying at KU. My fondness for KU’s programs led me to participate in the IWC, and I think I made the right choice. I especially enjoyed Professor Darcy Paquet’s class on the Korean movie industry. Moreover, the session devoted to watching a movie and meeting the director (Movie: The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale, 2019, Director: Jaeyoung Lee) allowed us to directly communicate with the movie director, from whom I learned a lot. The programs offered by the IWC were better than I expected.”

Josepa Mocormacr from Queensland University of Technology in Australia said, “Watching Nanta with my IWC friends is a memory that I will cherish. Before coming to the IWC, I thought that taking classes was the main purpose for taking part in the program. However, I believe that the IWC will be remembered as a memorable journey due to the various programs offered by the university.”

Su-Hyun Park (’16 Department of Materials Science and Engineering), who worked as a teaching assistant in the IWC, expressed her thoughts about the program: “It was a pleasant and enjoyable experience for me because I felt proud of being able to utilize my knowledge and tell about various aspects of Korean culture to many of the IWC international students. Next time, I would like to tell them about KU’s culture as well as Korean culture.”

Starting from December 27, KU held its four-week IWC program consisting of a three-week academic credit courses and a one-week culture immersion experience course.

The KU IWC is the biggest winter campus program in Korea. Approximately 870 students from 70 universities in 15 countries, including Australia, Singapore, the United States, China, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Morocco and Georgia participated in the program. Starting with 300 participants in 2016, the KU IWC commemorated its 4th anniversary this year. With participants now numbering three times more than in that first year, the IWC has seen rapid growth over the past three years.

Faculty members from prestigious universities, including King’s College London in the UK, Australian National University, the University of Wisconsin and California State University in the US, alongside KU professors taught approximately 30 courses in various fields, including business administration, economics, humanities, science and Korean language.

In addition to the courses taught by renowned professors, participating students had various opportunities to experience Korea’s culture and weather. Students went skiing and skating, attended a variety of programs, including taking part in Korean cooking classes and taekwondo lessons, and visited the War Memorial Hall and Korean corporations.

Just like the International Summer Campus does, a buddy program was offered to allow KU students and the IWC’s international students to not only exchange and learn international manners from each other but also to allow KU students to help international students easily adapt to the unfamiliar Korean environment.

Jung Ho Kim, Dean of the International Winter Campus (IWC) and Vice President of International Affairs, said, “For both Korean and international students, vacation is not a period to suspend your studies but is a time for new experiences and explorations. I hope the cultural exchanges and experiences that you had during the IWC will function as a springboard to becoming future global leaders.”