During the three days from September 11 to 13, the Inhyang Festival and TROIKA were held simultaneously at the University of Seoul (UOS) over three days. The Inhyang Festival is a fall festival held in September, while TROIKA is a joint interchange festival held with Kyung Hee University (KHU) and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) in sports, arts, and academics. TROIKA took the theme of “TROIKA, LET’S Color” after 4 years of suspension due to COVID-19.
The opening ceremony was hosted on the main stage of the UOS auditorium on the first day of the event. Lasting five hours in total, it consisted of a welcome speech by the president of UOS, cheering performances, and a stage performance.
Three different types of programs were held during the festival period: Yeokdong-Jeon, Gamdong-Je, and Akdong-Je. Yeokdong-Jeon, a sports match, had its preliminary rounds one week before the festival. UOS obtained excellent results. The UOS men’s soccer team beat HUFS 1-0 in the final. Furthermore, UOS won most of the matches at the end of the festival, including women’s soccer, tennis, basketball, and e-sports.
In addition, there were four different events in Gamdong-Je, an academic conference: an Economy Debate Competition, Youth Policy Contest, Talk Concert at HUFS, and Special Lecture at UOS. In Akdong-Je, the performance of school clubs such as the collaboration between the dance club R.A.H. of UOS and HUFS dovey, and stages of music clubs such as UC9 (Pungmul band) and Saeal (Choir band) were held. In addition, the clubs held competitive stages. UOS’s Thrash AL, HUFS’s F.A.A and Norenare, and KHU’s Naked participated in the band’s competitive performance, with UOS winning.
During the festival at UOS, a flea market was opened for students to find special products made or prepared by school clubs, such as keyrings, wallets, bags, and accessories. A photo booth was also installed with TROIKA photo frames. Students wore dress codes from each school (blue for UOS, navy for HUFS, and red for KHU) and enjoyed the festival. Guest performances held on the nights of the 11 and 12 featured Lee Chae-yeon, ONEWE, and Purple Kiss, and received favorable reviews from many students.
TROIKA ended with a closing ceremony at KHU on the last day. According to Everytime (a college student community application), students gave positive responses, such as “I hope TROIKA will expand further next year,” and “It’s good to see TROIKA return after the COVID-19 suspension.” TROIKA not only plays a major role in developing students’ love for their schools but also promotes unity and bonds among the three schools. As TROIKA had to be suspended for several years due to COVID-19, there were many students who had not experienced TROIKA before, which led them to wonder what to expect and what events to participate in. Therefore, based on this year’s successful hosting of the festival, students are expected to pay more attention to the festival and have diverse experiences.