New Movement of PNU to Remember October
To commemorate the 44th anniversary of the Buma Democratic Protests, PNU runs the commemoration week from October 11th to 17th with a variety of events.
Pusan National University (PNU) is expanding the Buma Democratic Protests commemoration project. Starting this year, the 44th anniversary, PNU is renewing the spirit of the Buma Democratic Protests by designating October 16th as a school anniversary, implementing a commemoration week of the Buma Democratic Protests, and naming Siwol Square. In addition, the Busandaehak-ro in front of PNU was given the honorary road name “10·16 Bumaminjuhangjaeng-ro (10·16 Buma Democratic Protest-ro)” to give it the spirit of democratization.
The Buma Democratic Protests were part of the democratization movement that broke down the restoration system of the Park Chung-Hee regime that began in 1972. It was held in front of the library, now the Building of Construction, on October 16th, 1979. It was declared a national holiday in 2019.
“Channel PNU'' focuses on the new movements inside and outside the campus that will continue the spirit of the Buma Democratic Protests, centering on the commemoration week of the Protests in PNU, which will be held for the first time this week from October 11th to 17th. According to the coverage on the October 6th, during the anniversary week, there will be a storytelling concert of the 10.16 Buma Democratic, a history tour event of PNU (The road of 10.16), an exhibition of the Buma Democratic Protests and university history materials, a naming ceremony for the Siwol Square, and a promotion for permanent exhibition room for the PNU History Museum (tentative name).
■10.16 As a School Anniversary
According to the results of a survey conducted by the Office of Academic Affairs of all PNU members at the end of September, October 16th was designated as PNU anniversary with overwhelming support. According to the Office of Academic Affairs, on September 26th, the school regulations were revised to include this school anniversary through the University Council, and it will be announced through the general affairs department. This is the first new school anniversary, except for the school's foundation day. The anniversary designation was promoted to remember the meaning of the Buma Democratic Protests, which is also called the “forgotten protests” due to the low student awareness of the Buma Democratic Protests. In fact, 42.26% of the respondents in the PNU survey responded that they do not know when the anniversary is. (reported by "Channel PNU" on September 7th).
On October 13th, which is in the week of the Buma Democratic Protests, the anniversary ceremony will be held to announce the meaning of the Buma Democratic Protests anniversary. At the anniversary ceremony, the “10.16 Buma Democratic Protests Storytelling Concert” will be held. It means to tell the spirit of the protesters that stood up for the protection of democracy and to pass it on to the next generation. Jung Kwang-Min, chairman of the 10.16 Buma Democratic Protests Research Institute, PNU President Cha Jeong-In, and Kim Yo-Seop (Dept. of Korean Language Education, 20), president of the General Students' Association (GSA), will participate in the concert. There will be also performances by four professors from PNU College of Arts, as well as performances by a large orchestra of more than 100 people and choirs. About 70 to 100 guests from PNU alumni, about 50 students who applied for participation through the GSA, faculty members and professors will attend the event.
On the same day, the naming ceremony of Siwol Square will be held. It is a plan to refer to the surrounding areas such as Basketball Court, and Sidewalk Square centering Nuk-Teo as Siwol Square. (reported by "Channel PNU" on September 21st).
■Retracing the Traces of Democratization Aspirations in PNU
Throughout the commemoration week, there will be a variety of events that will allow members of the campus to tangibly reflect on the meaning of the Buma Democratic Protests. “History tour event of PNU (The road of 10.16)” provides a time to look back on the history of places that are deeply related to the Buma Democratic Protests. Focusing on Nuk-Teo, the main base of the Buma Democratic Protests and the June Protests, the Nuk-Teo tour will look around the Moonchang Hall, the Buma Democratic Protests Tower (Saebyeokbeol Library), 10.16 Memorial Hall, Buma Democratic Protests Origin Marker (Building of Construction). The Office of Educational Affairs who organized the event said, “I hope that members of the school and citizens will explore and experience the historical place of PNU in relation to the Buma Democratic Protests.” PNU students who participate will also receive one point of nonsubject mileage.
There will also be an exhibition that collects the history of the Buma Democratic Protests in one place. In Nuk-Teo, “Buma Democratic Protests and University History Exhibition” will be held. Exhibits will be organized along the Nuk-Teo Walkway, and visitors can follow the historical trail from the statue of Dr. Kyungam Song Geum-Jo in front of the Main Administration Building to the 11th Engineering Building. Jung Gi-Yeon, secretary of the Division of Research Promotion in charge of the event said, “It will be an opportunity for school students, citizens, and other university students to accurately recognize the Buma Democratic Protests. Through the panel exhibition, we hope to show how PNU has played a role in the evolution of history over time, and the evolving civic consciousness as one stream.”
Through the commemorative week-long event, people can also see plans to create a permanent exhibition room for the PNU History Museum (tentative name). According to an official of PNU archives, an exhibition room showing the 78-year history of PNU will be completed on the first floor of the Main Administration Building next February. In this commemorative week, PNU plans to set up a publicity panel for the creation of a history museum and call for interest.
■Various Contests and Special Lectures
Contests and special lectures commemorating the Buma Democratic Protests were also held together. The Office of Strategic Planning of PNU received an application for the “Student Artwork Competition to Commemorate the Buma Democratic Protests” until September 15th. This is a biennial event held in Busan and Masan respectively, and Busan held the event this year. The Future Strategic Office explained that the contest received students' works on the theme of the democratization history of PNU and Yang Young-Jin, who was active in PNU during the Buma Democratic Protests.
Audiences can see the students' contest entries in the “Buma Democratic Protests and University History Exhibition” during the celebration week. According to Jung Gi-Yeon, secretary of the Division of Research Promotion, they plan to place the competition artwork on panels along the sidewalk.
A special lecture retracing the history of the Buma Democratic Protests will also be held this year, following last year. From September 18th to November 26th, the PNU Institute of Liberal Education will release a special lecture on the subject of “University and Democracy: The proud history of our elders, the Buma Democratic Protests” on every Monday. According to officials at the Institute of Liberal Education, this is the third edition lecture to be held this year, having started in 2020, and special lectures that were held offline in 2019 can be taken online.
Reporter Yoon Ji-Won
Translated by Lim Chae-Kyung