Learning About Ancestral Rite Tables in Hanbok... 247 International Students at Jeju National University Experience Chuseok

[Financial News Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok] A total of 247 international students at Jeju National University are experiencing Korean Chuseok culture firsthand by wearing hanbok and learning about ancestral rite tables and traditional etiquette.
According to Jeju National University on the 22nd, the university is operating the ‘Hangawi Cultural Experience for International Students’ program for two days, from the 22nd to the 23rd, with international students and domestic students participating together.
This year’s event includes 247 international students, including 30 international degree students and 217 Korean-language trainees. Including 35 domestic students, the total number of participants is approximately 280.
Students wear hanbok and experience Korean traditional culture, including ancestral rite tables and holiday etiquette. The program is designed not only to explain the significance of Chuseok, Korea’s major traditional holiday, to international students, but also to let them experience the clothing, food, and etiquette firsthand.
Domestic students also participate in the program. Its distinctive feature is that it encourages students from different cultural backgrounds to interact naturally through traditional cultural experiences.
Jeju National University has held an annual Hangawi cultural experience since 2021 to help international students understand Korean culture and adapt to university life. This year marks the sixth year.
As attracting international students emerges as a key task not only for the internationalization of universities but also for addressing the declining school-age population, the importance of helping international students settle in and of exchange programs among university members is growing. Beyond short-term student recruitment, university internationalization requires creating cultural connections with the local community alongside support for academic and daily-life adjustment.
Song Won-seop, director of the Office of International Exchange at Jeju National University, said, "I hope this will be a time for international students to experience Korean traditional culture firsthand, mingle with domestic students, and feel the warmth of the holiday season," adding, "Through various cultural experience and exchange programs, we will support international students’ stable university life and understanding of Korean culture."


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