Gillian Mccomeskey
gimccomeskey@ursinus.edu
“Heart and Seoul” is a Korean culture club on campus that started in Fall 2019. This club is an amazing way to learn about Korean culture and lifestyle. The group meets every Wednesday at 8 pm in Olin 007. During the meetings, the club discusses topics such as food, beauty standards, music, and even dance.
For people who are looking to immerse themselves in K-pop, the club additionally has separate meetings in which they learn K-pop dances (regardless of experience), and perform them at the end of the semester. During the fall, “Heart and Seoul” held a dance performance showcase in Lower Wismer along with free Korean food.
President of the club, senior Min Son describes the atmosphere of Heart and Seoul as being “very welcoming, fun, and goofy. It’s great to have that hour when you don’t have to worry about all of your responsibilities and school.” Not only is it important to be able to take a break from school, but taking part in a club such as “Heart and Seoul” also allows you to dive deeper into the core questions that Ursinus prides itself on through learning, listening, and understanding.
“I studied abroad the semester before at the University of Glasgow, and they had a K-pop society,” Son explained. “Interestingly, the group was very international–I was one of two Koreans that joined the society. Then, I realized the power of K-pop to join diverse groups of people together. Around the same time, Ria (the Vice President of Heart and Seoul) was studying abroad in Japan. At Akita International University, she attended K-pop workshops. Both of us had the same thing in mind: we should have something like this at Ursinus.”
President Min Son went on to say that the club is for “Anyone who wants to have fun! Our members are mostly freshmen and sophomores who did not know much or were not interested in Korean culture and language. Joining “Heart and Seoul” is a great opportunity to socialize with your friends, and it’s like a bonus to learn about another country’s culture that we usually don’t talk about in classroom settings.” People of all different backgrounds, ages, and interests will have something to bond over during Heart and Seoul meetings.