It was another successful year for POSTECH AutumnFest (PAF). Following the first PAF launched in 2024, the second PAF was held on Sept. 24, where various aspects of Hungary’s culture were introduced to Postechians. Through this event, international and domestic members of POSTECH were able to interact actively and share their ideas.
The festival began with a Hungarian film screening on the eve of the event. Then, on the day of the event, the Hungarian Dessert Tasting Experience highlighted the start of the festival, where the participants were able to try Palacsinta, a Hungarian-style pancake. This was soon followed by the Golden Bell Quiz, where international and domestic undergraduate students were paired as a team to answer questions together. Questions regarding notable figures, science and technology, the language, and culture of Hungary were asked to participants.
The Special Lecture & Talk was also held, where the lectures were given by István Szerdahelyi, the ambassador of Hungary to the Republic of Korea; Imre Kacskovics, the dean of the faculty of science at ELTE; and Soo Yeon Han, a Korean actress. Having lived in Hungary for a long time, Han shared what she experienced while spending her childhood in Hungary.
A panel discussion also took place, where the previous lecturers, President Seong Keun Kim, and Killian Philipp Bennet, an exchange student from Hungary, joined as panels. Various aspects of Hungary, Korea, and the relationship between the two countries were discussed, including travel destinations in Hungary, Hungarian food and drinks, different lifestyles in the two countries, and the academic cultures. Dean Kacskovics highlighted the importance of experiences in the international environment at the talk.
The networking festival, with classical music of Hungary, wrapped up this day-long event, where participants enjoyed the festive atmosphere together with friends and colleagues. Batu Mustu, a Turkish exchange student at POSTECH, originally from the Technical University of Munich in Germany, shared his thoughts on the event. While expressing his satisfaction with the variety of events, selection of panels, and the concept of getting to know a different country selected each year, he also mentioned that the event schedule could be adjusted to avoid conflicting with class time.
Myeongyong Choe of Student Affairs explained that while PAF 2024 focused on the festival’s relaxing and stress-relieving aspect, the academic aspect of the school has been more reflected in the event this year. He also pointed out that the relationship and the upcoming joint workshop with ELTE were important factors in selecting Hungary as a theme this year. While explaining that the ultimate goal of the event is to share the diversity of cultures, lifestyles, and education of different backgrounds, he emphasized that bringing the academic aspect of POSTECH into the festival, organizing an event for POSTECH members to relieve stress, and sharing the cultural values with the local community are the three main focuses of the festival.
