On April 29th, Pusan National University (PNU) Emergency Planning Committee (EPC) announced the PNU festival, Daedong-je, will be held for three days, from May 17th to 19th. 

Daedong-je of this year will include many activities such as an E-Sports Competition, a Healing Concert, the PNU Song Festival, an Escape Room, and more activities at booths with foods, under the slogan of “Finally, Dae-Dong!” The slogan and programs were created based on contests and content demand surveys conducted among PNU students. 

Daedong-je will take place mainly in Nuknukhan-Teo (Nuk-Teo), near the Building of the  College of Humanities (BCH) through Mun-Chang Hall, and other places. First, the main stage of Nuk-Teo: starting with an opening ceremony, the finals of the E-Sports Competition will also be held there. The EPC recruited participants, and the 16 rounds of the League of Legends and quarterfinals of Kart Rider Rush will be held from April 30th to May 7th. 

Additionally, at 6 PM on the 18th, the performance of PNU clubs and students will be held. On May 19th, the last day of Daedong-je, the PNU Song Festival, where pre-selected participants perform the singing contests, and the Healing Concert, where famous singers appear, will be held from 6 PM. 

There are many experience activities and various foods in Daedong-je too. The PNU Muk-Ja Street festival period starts from 2 PM until 9:30 PM, around the BCH and Mun-Chang Building, with food trucks and eating places. The booths for activities will be held from 10 am to 6 PM in the PNU booth center. The Escape Room, which was prepared by a startup company of PNU students, starts from 10 AM to 8 PM. 

The final rounds of the PNU president's basketball and soccer tournaments will take place in PNU basketball stadium on May 17th, 2 PM, and in PNU grand stadium on May 20th, 6 PM, in sequence. For more information, students can visit the website of the student council. The EPC recruited 64 of the PNU soccer teams by order of arrival from April 25th to 27th and had orientation and group draw on April 29th.  

Many PNU students are excited now with the news of the Daedong-je’s resurgence after four years due to Covid-19. Jin Sung-Hyun (21, Dept. of Optics and Mechatronics Engineering), the president of PNU club UCDC, said, “This is the first official PNU festival from my UCDC activity. I am so excited to be able to respond to the responses of PNU students on the stage of big festivals like Daedong-je.” The freshman Kim Jin-Sik (22, Dept. of Political Science and Diplomacy) said, “I was wondering about the mood of PNU during the festival, and I am very excited about the booths, performances, and many activities.” 

Meanwhile, the EPC is reviewing policies such as the mandatory wearing of masks for participating in festivals due to COVID-19, although the social distancing rules have been relaxed. Jung Se-Yoon (18, International Trade), the president of the EPC of the student council, said, “We are preparing diligently for the first Daedong-je to be held in four years, so we ask all students for their interests, participation, and cooperation.”

Reporter Kim Hyun-Kyung

Translated by Yun Chae-Eun