From Oct. 28 to 30, 2024, the 56th Gaehwa student council of CBNU held the Geasin Daedong Festival. This year’s theme was APERIO, inspired by CBNUʼs founding philosophy, Nova Aperio, which means enlightening and unfolding new things.

  A total of 42 booths including the management headquarters, 17 flea markets, and 16 food trucks participated in 2024 Daedong Festival. The booths were divided into A and B zones centered on the 1st Student Center (E3) and the Central Library (N12), while food trucks and food zones lined the streets in front of the College of Social Sciences (N15). A wide range of booths prepared by CBNU students, especially, the APERIO program booth run by the Gaehwa, and booths from outside companies were arranged together to provide various attractions. Ryu Seung-in (Dept. English Language and Literature, 21) said, “Due to COVID-19 and my military service, this Daedong festival was my first face-to-face encounter. Also it was my first chance, to experience various booths with my colleague, eat delicious food. I make fun memories.”

  Among the booths run by students, participatory booths such as Chungdae Signal (Chungdae for CBNU, meeting booth name), Exciting Blind Date, and Shinsegae Sajutaro (horoscope booth name) were popular as well as departmental food booths such as Mara Tteokbokki and Shashlik, a Russian monster skewer. In addition, APERIO programs such as Case Diary of Woowangyi, a program to find the culprit of one of CBNU’s mascots against the background of the school, and Perfect Score, a program to give prizes to the three students with the highest scores in a karaoke score-off, also attracted students’ attention.

  The 2024 Daedong Festival features unique characteristics, such as the complete street closure in front of the College of Social Sciences to create a spacious food zone. Additionally, some roads have chalk available for free drawing in the Woowangi’s Scribble Zone, adding a touch of fun. To provide a comfortable resting area for students and local citizens, a relaxation space has been set up near Solmot (Sol pond). Also with various events like the Healing Zone, Daydreaming Contest, and Laser Tag Survival, all have received great responses from students. Hwang Woo-jin (Dept. of Russian Language and Literature, 24), a student who participated in the Daydreaming Contest, said, “I thought it would be easier than it was, but my back and legs hurt when I participated, and I almost burst out laughing due to the interruptions from the organizers. I held on to the end with a competitive spirit,” he said. “Eventually, I did not make it to the end, but it was a fun experience,” he said. “I would like to participate again next time,” he added, expressing his positive intention.

  This year, a unique attempt of the Gaeshin Daedong festival was a contest project to create merchandise featuring the festival’s official clothing. The project was carried out with the participation of students. However, it was not materialized due to the lack of ninimum order quantity. Despite of the result, this effort is significant in positioning CBNU as a unified brand. Ahn Chae-hwan (School of Business, 19), the leader of the organizing festival and the student body president, said, “We observed several universities with long history in the metropolitan area, branding their names and launching various merchandise. To rebrand the university, we planned this project for CBNU.”

  The highlight of the festival was its diverse lineup of artists. On day 2 (Oct. 29), singers #Annyeong, Reggae Kang Gatteun Pyeonghwa (HaHa & Skull), and the idol boy group Highlight took the stage. On day 3 (Oct. 30), the idol boy group The Wind, rappers Giriboy and Changmo, and the female band QWER were scheduled to perform. However, QWER was unable to attend due to personal reasons, and their spots were filled by female duo singers Davichi and female solo Punch.

  2024 Daedong festival MC was GYUTAECCI, an influencer and travel YouTuber, who gained attention for hosting the festival once again, as he did last year. In addition to the artist performances, on the 29, the Woowang Gawang Song Festival (singing contest) was held, where the first, second, and third places were selected through real-time voting, and prize money was awarded to the winners. In particular, the first-place winner was offered an encore opportunity, showing a special moment on stage.

  Not only CBNU students but also residents enjoyed the festival together. A resident of Cheongju (in his 40s, living in Bokdae-dong) shared his impressions of the festival, “Watching this CBNU festival brought back memories of my college days. It seems that the university festival has evolved from being just an event for students to become an occasion that can be enjoyed together with residents.”

  Meanwhile, some students expressed disappointment about the festival period which overlapped with the exam period. Nevertheless, APERIO fostered harmony between students and the local community by revitalizing CBNUʼs campus with a variety of programs and artists.

By Kim Seo-yeon | ssung@chungbuk.ac.kr 

By Kim Si-eun | sijm0711@chungbuk.ac.kr

By Yun Seo-won | yunsw0305@chungbuk.ac.kr