Korea University (KU) successfully hosted its first offline Club Festival in three years. On March 16 and 17, around 10 club exhibitions were showcased in People’s Square, with a wide array of clubs from Korea University Cat Shelter (GoGoShim) to Korea University Dance Team (KUDT) opening booths for curious aspiring rookies. Inside Student Union Hall, about 50 clubs opened up their club rooms as makeshift booths. Live performances with vocals, dance, and nongak, Korean farmers’ music, took place in Aegineung Basketball Court and Concert Hall in Student Union Hall.

The festival is a tangible step in KU’s slow return to normalcy, as student life increasingly renounces stringent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) regulations. The festival still differs from pre-COVID-19 days, though; some live performances could only host limited audiences due to pandemic concerns, and offline events such as a metaverse-affiliated walkthrough of campus were held for those who could not participate in offline events.

All events were met with enthusiastic support from students, with many expressing excitement over some aspects of campus life finally returning to normal. “I finally feel as if I am a real college student,” said Roh Dayoung (‘21, Spanish Language and Literature) in an interview with The Korea University Weekly.