On May 15th, on the 77th anniversary of the opening of the Pusan National University (PNU), “Channel PNU” met PNU students and preliminary PNU students who celebrated the opening in various ways in their respective places. “Channel PNU” has heard stories from our college students, from freshmen who have just entered the school, to seniors who are about to graduate, and graduate students who are passionate about research.

■ Lucky Seven! the 77th Anniversary of PNU

Lim Sun-Woo (Dept. of Media & Communication, 23) is a freshman who has dreamed of becoming a PNU student ever since he was young. Although he has only been in school for two months, he has a lot of memories and has a great affection for his life. He said he felt like a member of PNU when his seniors actively approached him during an awkward freshman orientation. Lim expressed his enthusiasm by expressing his admission to PNU as Lucky Seven. He said, “I like the number seven the most, but it seems more meaningful because the year of admission is the 77th anniversary. It is fortunate that the number of department events has increased in time as regulations related to COVID-19 have been lifted.” He added that he hopes to have good memories with his friends and recall that college life was the most fun in his life in the future.

Kim Dong-Won (School of Dentistry, 21) and Moon Min-Jun (School of Dentistry, 21), who take liberal arts classes every Thursday at Busan Campus, have been hanging out since freshman year. After spending the first year of their bachelor's degree at the Busan Campus and studying at the Yangsan Campus, they hoped to increase exchanges with the Busan Campus. He said, "I watched the club booth at a generous place a while ago, and I was so thankful that the people of the Busan campus club who were active during my freshman year were still welcomed." They said with sincere congratulations, “77 seems to be meaningful as it is a lucky number. PNU also worked hard, and I hope it will continue until the 100th anniversary and beyond.”

Jang Moon-Kyung (19, Buk-gu), a senior in high school who is preparing for the upcoming 2024 KSAT, is a test taker who dreams of entering PNU. She said that whenever she was tired, she recalled herself as a student of PNU. She was born and has been living in Busan all her life, naturally targeting PNU. Since her freshman year, she has been motivated by PNU occasional recruitment guidelines and competition rates. She said, "Congratulations on the 77th anniversary of PNU. I also want to enter PNU, which will develop further in the future."

■ A School that Cares About Students. Hope It Stays Healthy.

Lee Min-Seok (Master of Mechanical Engineering, 22), who said he remembered handing out T-shirts to celebrate the 70th anniversary of PNU when he entered PNU, recalled, "I did not know I would remain in school until now." Lee is currently in his second year of his master's degree and aims to graduate within this year. He said he experienced a lot of failures while studying at PNU, and learned a lot from it. He got into the habit of standing up again and challenging himself, even if he failed. Celebrating the school's anniversary, Lee said, "In the meantime, many new spaces have been created and buildings have changed at PNU. As there are good changes, I hope it will remain as a good school as it is now."

Choi Jae-Joon (Dept. of Philosophy, 22), who became a second-year student this year, is improving his life as a college student. Although major studying has become more difficult compared to last year, it has been so much fun. He, who plays the keyboard in a band club, said, "I have a lot of good memories in PNU." He said he liked the moment when he came down from school while looking at the night view after practicing the performance with the band members until 11 p.m. He said, “It's a relief that we have Pusan National University that made good memories for us. I hope PNU will be a proud school that creates future memories and produces many talents together.”

Boonyanuch Kateboonlue (Dept. of Food Science & Nutrition, 21), an international student from Thailand, boasts her Korean language skills that are incomparable to Korean students. Boonyanuch said she met many precious relationships that could exchange good influence from her classmates to clubs and professors. Referring to the remodeling of the library, she said, "It is a school where I can feel affection for students." When asked if there was a memorable moment, she recalled the beautiful campus, saying, "I came out of the student hall after eating, and the cherry blossom leaves fell like rain as the wind blew." She said, “I hope PNU will continue to be healthy so that students can remember their school.”

■ A Stepping Stone for Growth Filled with Memories

Ahn Do-Hoon (Dept. of Civil Engineering, 19), who has become a "year of death" (a metaphorical word for a third-year student who has a lot of work to do), is living a busy life these days. This is because he is not only studying his major but also preparing for the certificate he has been aiming for since vacation. He's hometown is Jeju Island, but he shared his hometown with PNU for more than two years and said he regarded it as "our neighborhood." One of the many memories is drinking "two Makgeolli and a half cider bottles" with friends at "Sanseong" after hiking the Geumjeongsan Mountain. He said, “I hope that this year will be a year for me to develop further with Pusan National University.” He is currently planning to win the contest and have field training.

Yoo Jeong-Eun (School of Economics, 20) from Incheon says, "Pusan National University is my second home." She said she had not enjoyed the festival properly due to the COVID-19 school year, but she felt like a "real" freshman through Daedong-je Festival last year. She said, “The fireworks festival (at the time of the Daedong-je) was the most impressive. I think I'll remember the moment when the fireworks went off for a long time.” She is thinking about herself ahead of graduation. She said she doesn't belong anywhere after graduation, so she plans to travel to think about how she can express herself. She said, “As a local national university, I am always proud of PNU, which does not miss the first place. I will try to be a proud PNU student myself.”

Reporter Jung Hye-Eun

Translated by Lim Chae-Kyung