The 2011 Minseok Festival was held on May 11th and 12th. While unexpected rain caused some worries that the festival would be spoiled, the passion felt by a lot of Dongseo students dissipated these concerns, and the atmosphere of excitement at the festival continued to build to a climax. It was almost palpable. Moreover, the rain stopped on the second day, allowing students to further delightfully enjoy the festival.
There were many performances from school clubs and from famous singers, as well as events involving audience participation. On the first day, the festival was launched at 4 p.m. with the appearance of an MC, who gave an explanation of what would happen in the festival. The first event on stage was the preliminary round of the DSU Quiz Contest. The President of DSU, Chang Jekuk, administered the quiz. The participants, more than one hundred people, all did their best to win. But because it was raining cats and dogs, the festival had to be temporarily stopped.
At 7:30 p.m., the festival again began to follow its intended schedule despite the fact that it was still raining. DSU’s pride ‘Midi Mix’ appeared on stage and gave a performance with exciting and sweet music. Then there was the fantastic dance performance of U.C.D.C, which certainly caught everyone’s attention.
Last to take the stage on first day of the festival was Mighty Mouth, who are one of the most energetic and entertaining groups in Korea. The audience cheered up as they appeared on the stage. They sang hit songs, and the audience couldn’t help but applaud them for their performance. It was very exciting and delightful.
Because of the rain, some of the day-one events had to be postponed to the second day, on which more people came to see the various events and performances. It was exciting and lots of fun. The first on stage was the DSU Quiz Contest’s finals. The winner of the final received a travel package ticket to Europe valued at about 2,500,000 won.
This was followed by ‘The Birth of Campus Couple,’ held for DSU’s single students. Five men and five women took part in performances and games with the aim of becoming couples. It was fun and looked very cheerful. The audience really wanted the five men and women to become couples, and encouraged them enthusiastically. This “sweet” event was followed by a “tough” one. A taekwondo group took the stage and demonstrated their abilities by breaking wood panels with their bare hands as well as by giving an unbelievable performance.
Next up was ‘Super Star D.’ This event was divided into two parts. First, the participants showed off their individual skills in dancing and singing. The participants’ ability was amazing, giving the judging committee great difficulty in deciding on the winners. Duo took first place, and also received a travel package ticket to Europe. Before the last part of the festival started, a group of bodyguards appeared on the stage and presented an incredible, dynamic performance. Then the fireworks began. Everyone’s eyes were on the sky, and everyone cheered the wonderful display. Finally Hui Sung, the most important festival guest, arrived at DSU and everyone gathered around with great cheers. A lot of shots were taken in the hope of getting a good picture of the singer.
DSU students were unlucky with the rain during the festival. But what I was really surprised about while covering the festival was the depth of DSU students’ passion. If we always have such passion, surely we can do anything? The 2011 Minseok Festival was so much fun, and it gave us unforgettable memories. The passion remains and the ground is there waiting for the next festival.