Jack Eaton May 18th, 2026

 I’m sure many of us can agree, today was one of the best days of the trip so thus far. We woke up earlier than usual today to catch our hour-long train ride to Sungkyunkwan University. SKKU is one of the oldest educational institutions still in practice in the world with its roots dating all the way back to 1398. We were greeted by one of the graduate students when we arrived from the train and taken to one of the classrooms inside the university. There we had a lecture from one of the sports science professors about the economic breakdown of US and Korean sports. We also discussed the necessity that Korean leagues face to expand globally. The amount of revenue for the leagues has almost maxed out domestically, so the next natural step is for Korean leagues to try to attain the interest of the international audience. 

After the lecture, we split up into our project groups and had the opportunity to speak with a SKKU student. We talked about things relating to our project with them to what their university experience was like to who their favorite basketball player was. We then took a mini tour around the campus on the way to the dining hall where we were able to have either the beef sashimi or the pork cutlet. 

After lunch we went over to the gym where we were split into 4 different teams mixed in with university students: red,green,blue and purple. We then participated in 4 different events: tug of war, dodgeball, relay race, and a game where we had to flip over more of these tiles that were laid on the floor than the other team in a minute. Even though my team got last, it was still super fun to compete with the university students. After the games, we all went outside and the University had set up a Korean BBQ tent where we were able to grab fresh pulled pork and chat with the students. During that time, I was able to meet a bunch of the students and learn a lot about them and their lives. Around 6:30 we had to leave and say bye to our new friends. Fortunately, a lot of us exchanged Instagrams and are now able to keep in contact. 

This was definitely one of my favorite, if not favorite, days of the trip. It was a great time all around and the University and students put in a tremendous effort in hosting us. If I ever come back to South Korea in the near future, I'm going to make sure to stop by and reconnect with the students.