The fifth TEDxPOSTECH took place on Nov.10. Four speakers were invited to share their ideas on the theme ‘pioneer’. A representative of vegan fashion brand ‘Not ours’, Shin Ha-na cast questions on existing companies which exploit the animals with no critical considerations. A photographer, Hong San who takes pictures that will be used for funerals, helps people confront the notion of death. Based on the affection of struggling individuals, she criticizes the fact that the driving force of modern society is the guilt of the individual. A former student president of Seoul National University, Kim Bo-mi represents the LGBT community and places emphasis on the courage to change the opinions of friends and family one by one. A representative of ‘Geekble’, Park Chan-hoo (CSE 15) tells a story about beginning start-ups and shares the reason why he had to start a business in the media industry. After the regular four lectures, there was an after party for the participants.
What TED pursues is ‘ideas worth spreading’. It is an independent lecture where figures from each field share their ideas and knowledge. If TED is held at the same place annually, it would limit accessibility with many people being unable to participate. To deal with this problem, TED headquarters gives licenses to various regions or groups to hold TEDx. KAIST, UNIST, Yonsei University TEDx are all available, while Tokyo and other cities are also accessible. In the case of POSTECH, liberal arts lectures are limited and are focused solely on academic areas preventing students from gathering experience about the broader world. TEDx POSTECH has been held from 2011. One might be curious about the compatibility of TEDx with PAM (Postechian Activity Mileage). However, due to various regulations, TEDx cannot be carried out under other authorities. 
An organizer, Jo Min (IME 17), introduced the theme of TEDx briefly. “A pioneer is someone who is important in the early development of a unique fields that others do not dare to try. The reason we chose ‘pioneer’ as the main theme is because we wanted to provide Postechians with stories of various, but unique people.” The other interviewee, Kim Chi-sung (IME 17), when asked about the part the organizers most concentrated on, said, “We were careful about casting the speakers. They determine the major reasons for success and the stories vary by the lectures. We also considered the participants’ interest in whether the speaker’s ideas would be refreshing or not to them.” Also, he gave a talk on the process of acquiring a license. Organizers kept communicating with TED headquarter for permission to hold the event. Considering the short preparation period, TED headquarters first refused to issue a license. The organizers, then persuaded headquarters, giving details on their plan to successfully hold TEDx POSTECH, and eventually received a license.
The After party is separate from the regular TEDxPOSTECH event. However, organizers insisted that the after party be held every year. It is prepared specifically for people who hope to attend. TED itself does not allow questions during the after party, but it can be an open place for communications. Organizers believed that almost everyone showed considerable satisfaction with the event. For the next TED organizers, Kim stressed, “Please keep in mind to obtain the license in the first half of the year. I think differentiating TEDx from other seminars and providing unique content is also very important.”