Food-filled tents, tables and activities enlivened the space outside of the Young Sam Kim Korean Student Center in Old Champlain this past Friday afternoon for K-Fest. Sponsored by the YS Kim Foundation, the event featured a plentiful assortment of traditional foods, interactive games and various organizations in celebration of the rich culture of Korea.
Throughout the festival, bustling crowds of students gathered to enjoy the welcoming social atmosphere and the meals provided. The buffet menu included kimchi fried rice, Korean fried chicken and Japchae, a glass noodle stir fry.
Organizations like the Korean International Student Association, the Korean American Student Association, the Korean Christian Fellowship, the Binghamton Taekwondo Club, Sulpoong, Paradox and the K-Pop Club were present at the event, each with a unique contribution to the festival’s wide variety of activities.
KASA’s table offered several traditional activities for visitors to play. Among these were Gonggi, a game similar to jacks in requiring speed and hand-eye coordination, and Ddakji, which involves flipping paper squares and may be familiar to some due to its appearance in the Korean TV series “Squid Game.”
Amid the festivities was a section created by the Korean International Student Association, an organization devoted to supporting Korean international students both academically and socially. Jake Lee, treasurer of KISA and a junior majoring in accounting, shared his experience as an international student in an interview and highlighted the value of the organization. While it can be difficult to adjust to a new language, culture and environment, he explained that KISA’s numerous programs and events help to make the transition easier.
Those who visited the area of K-Fest dedicated to Sulpoong, Binghamton University’s traditional Korean drumming organization, tried out instruments like the janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum that produces a dynamic range of percussive sounds.
Wonjun Park, a member of KISA and Sulpoong and a freshman majoring in economics, expressed the fulfilling outcome of taking the initiative to join a club.
“It may seem kind of daunting to join a new organization, especially with new people and an entirely new perspective,” Park said. “But as a person who had that same perspective, joining one was definitely one of the best choices I made so far in my semester. I would highly recommend anyone just join any org to create new friends and new experiences.”
The Binghamton Taekwondo Club offered attendees the opportunity to release built-up stress and address something that angers them. Students wrote down their biggest stressor on wooden planks provided by the club and broke it with a move of their choice — providing a form of emotional catharsis.
Donovan Lai, one of Taekwondo Club’s demonstration coordinators and a sophomore majoring in biology, helped oversee and promote the organization’s table at K-Fest. Lai explained how having an outlet for frustration can be constructive for students, especially around the end of the semester.
“Typically it’s finals, typically it’s a project, a class that they’re worried about,” Lai said. “They write it down on the board and then they break it as a form of stress relief and it’s super fun. We love the energy.”
KCF’s table featured a chain of encouragement notes, an activity in which students anonymously added words of motivation and reassurance to a series of selected bible verses. Participants also had the option to take home any note with a message they found especially impactful.
Despite the sunshine being interrupted by a brief period of rain, the festival remained full of energetic attendees. In the final hour of the event, Sulpoong presented its final percussion performance of the year, followed by a dance workshop led by Vivian Shi, head director of Paradox and a junior majoring in chemistry. During the lesson, participants learned a dance from a previous Paradox performance, featuring the song “Knife” by the K-Pop group Enhypen.
For the organizers, what made K-Fest so fun and important was simple — the people. Ty Riccobene, fundraising chair of KASA and a sophomore double-majoring in economics and business administration, explained the value of an event like this and how it can offer attendees exposure to Korean culture beyond mainstream narratives.
“I know it can be intimidating to go to a lot of clubs and go to events, but I feel like even if you’re not Korean — especially if you’re not Korean — we want to welcome you to events,” Riccobene said. “We just like to spread awareness about Korean culture and just make sure everyone has a good time and have fun.”