“First time seeing snow, first time skiing and a fun time with IWC friends!”

Students of International Winter Campus experienced skiing in snow they don’t experience at home.

The KU International Winter Campus (IWC) held a ski class for students participating in the program at Jisan Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, on January 5.

The event attracted a large number of students from countries such as Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, where the climate is normally too warm for snow. The students who gathered at the Central Plaza of Korea University early in the morning were taking photos with smiling looks of expectancy. The students were very excited about seeing snow when arriving at the ski resort, but when the class began, they became immersed in the lesson. After the class, students took the time to upgrade their skills by choosing from beginner, intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced ski runs, according to their skiing level. As the students came from various countries, several meal options were offered.

At the end of the program, the students were busy taking photos of each other in order to save memories to later cherish. Edward Monsour, a professor at UCLA in the U.S. who accompanied the ski trip, said, “I have been participating in the KU IWC for two years now and have observed a large number of students who have never seen snow. I think this program is one reason such students choose KU IWC. I really enjoyed being with the students today.”

Kate Liang, a student at Rhode Island University in the U.S., said, “We had a great time with our classmates. I will prepare for next week's class with energy taken from today’s great experience. I was so happy to fully enjoy snow today.” She added, “I love Korea. It was a day I will never forget.”

Korea University is hosting the four-week International Winter Campus (IWC) consisting of three-week academic courses and a one-week cultural experience course from December 27.

Approximately 870 students from 70 universities in 15 countries are participating in the program. The countries include Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, China, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Morocco and Georgia. The KU IWC, starting with 300 participants in 2016, has grown to be the largest program of its kind in Korea.

KU IWS offers about 30 academic courses covering different subjects in the fields of business administration, economics, humanities, science and Korean language. The courses are taught by IWC faculty members consisting of professors from KU and prestigious universities across the world, including King’s College London, Australian National University and the University of Wisconsin.

Along with the academic courses provided by prominent professors, various cultural activities are arranged to help IWS students experience winter in Korea. The students can take part in various programs for Korean food cooking and taekwondo as well as Korea’s seasonal sports such as skiing and ice skating.