It is pointed out that Nuknukhan-Teo (Nuk-Teo)’s lawn has been reduced to "ornamental use" due to continuous restrictions on access to the natural grass squares created on the Nuk-Teo of Pusan National University (PNU) Busan Campus. It is also unclear when the access restriction will be lifted.

The Division of Student Affairs of PNU has restricted access to Nuk-Teo since May 18. Nuk-Teo was transformed into a natural grass square with controlled access from March 21 to May 15. This project, conducted as part of the campus master plan "Beautiful Campus," aimed to convert the campus center into a green and pedestrian-friendly space.

Following the principle of creating a campus where people want to walk, PNU replaced Nuk-Teo's sand area with natural grass. During that time, students expressed concerns about the lack of soccer space and the potential damage to the grass, as well as anticipations for the renewed appearance of Nuk-Teo due to its makeover (released by Channel PNU on March 12, 2023).

Nuk-Teo, which could be used from May 16 when the Daedong-Je began, was immediately restricted after the festival. This was due to the significant damage to the grass, as performances were held on the grass during the festival. PNU Head Offices explained that there was more rain than expected during the festival, which was unavoidable. Despite efforts to protect the grass as much as possible, the damage was worse than anticipated due to the heavy rain and the accommodation of the large crowd of nearly 10,000 people. The Division of Student Affairs stated, "We tried to minimize grass damage during the event and stage setup, but the rain on the third day of the festival resulted in substantial damage, especially to the side area (which was the audience entrance at the time) and the direction towards the main administration building (which was the student evacuation route at the time)."

After the grass was established on Nuk-Teo, PNU members could use it for only three days. It's hard to predict when the access restriction will be lifted when the grass is fully recovered. PNU Head Offices believe that access could be restricted at least until mid-November. The Division of Student Affairs said, "The grass regeneration process could span from a minimum of three months to 6 months depending on the weather and other conditions."

The issue is the potential for such incidents to recur. Concerns about grass damage were present even before PNU planted the grass. At that time, the Division of Facilities Management had devised technical measures to address students' apprehensions (released by Channel PNU on March 23, 2023). However, the anticipated situation occurred. PNU student A (Dept. of Media and Communication, 23) said, “It's inconvenient to go back along the edge path every time I pass by Nuk-Teo. While planting grass made it beautiful, at this rate, it seems like I might join the military without even having used the grass square much."

PNU Head Offices have announced that they will take additional measures to prevent repeated incidents of restricted access to the Nuk-Teo. According to the Division of General Affairs, the university is implementing regular watering and lawn mowing to establish the grass rapidly. Even after the grass has been established, they plan to set guidelines for Nuk-Teo usage to maintain the lawn. The Division of Student Affairs stated, "For upcoming events, we will prepare lawn protection measures based on the experience from the previous festival, including the installation of grass protection mats."

Reporter Cho Young-Min

Translated by Kim Tae-Yi