September holds a special place in the hearts of Korea University (KU) students. Not only does it mark the beginning of autumn, but it is also the month during which the always-anticipated Annual Ko-Yon Games are held. Unfortunately, this year, the Ko-Yon Games were canceled, something which has not occurred for decades, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Thus, KU students have experienced an absence of much excitement and fun. In an attempt to relieve this frustration, The Granite Tower (GT) asked four KU students for their thoughts on the cancellation of the Annual Ko-Yon Games.

Yoon Heena ('14, French Language and Literature)

Because I witnessed the 5-0 victory of KU at the 2014 Ko-Yon Games, I would say that they were the highlight of my freshman year. The nail-biting matches, cheering, and afterparties made it one to remember. My hip was in pain from cheering, but I was happy because I felt a sense of belonging to KU. I wished for all newbies to have the same experience. Therefore, it is a shame that the games were canceled. However, to eliminate COVID-19, it seems there is no alternative but to maintain social distancing. I dearly hope that next year, students will be able to enjoy the Ko-Yon Games with twice the fun in a normalized world.

Cho Jangwan ('15, School of Life Sciences)

The cancellation of the Ko-Yon Games this year, for me, represents a feeling of powerlessness. In a sense, the Ko-Yon Games is a series of events that rekindles the spirit of KU within its students. For example, everyone adds their own cheering chant on top of each other’s, creating a single and strong voice, allowing us to feel togetherness. However, COVID-19 has reduced the Ko-Yon Games to nothing, an event that could have hopefully empowered students with the determination to get through this pandemic. In these bleak times, powerlessness may be the appropriate word to describe the impact of the cancellation.

Guan Eunhye (’18, English Language and Literature)

The Ko-Yon Games remind me of when I was a freshman. I was so excited to watch the basketball game with my friends. However, we were not allowed into the venue! The school had distributed more tickets than there were seats, so although we had tickets, we could not be a spectator. I remember thinking the situation was unfair. In the end, my friends and I went to get fried chicken and watched a live stream of the basketball game. Because of this experience, I was looking forward to watching all of the games this year. It is definitely a shame that the event was canceled, especially for the freshmen who had been patiently waiting for it.

Choi In Hyeok ('20, Physics)

When COVID-19 started to spread at the beginning of 2020, school events such as the Pre-Freshman Workshops and Ipselenti — Jiya Hamsung were all canceled; by then, I already half expected this year’s Ko-Yon Games would be canceled as well. Therefore, I was not too shaken by the news of the Ko-Yon Games being officially canceled. Despite the fact that I am attending KU, I was unfortunately not able to participate in any activities that would make me truly feel so. That is undoubtedly sad. However, I think all we can do is to wait for the situation to improve while trying our best at what we are able to do in order to facilitate positive change.