Squirrel Path, Let’s Believe in Love as Destiny!

Traversing behind the Main Hall, the trail extends from West Hall to the Main Library.

Old tale: “When a man and a woman walk along the path together and encounter a squirrel, they will fall in love.”
Squirrel Path, a narrow trail traversing the hill behind the Main Hall, was naturally created as people passed through, as otherwise they would have had to make a detour in front of the Main Hall. As there was thick growth in the woods, passers-by would encounter various animals, in particular squirrels, which is why it is dubbed Squirrel Path. Even today, if you are lucky enough, you can meet the occasional squirrel.

Clock Tower, Icon of West Hall (College of Liberal Arts)

♬ “Birds, birds, blue birds” at Noon

Visible from anywhere on campus, the Clock Tower sits on top of West Hall (College of Liberal Arts) with an embedded super-size clock over 180 centimeters in diameter. The stone work was produced to the order of a KU alumnus in 1961 for KRW 8 million. In the early period of its installation, the clock chimed the melody of “birds, birds, blue birds” at every quarter past the hour. Today, however, it plays the school song at 9 a.m. and the song of “birds, birds, blue birds” at noon. It has a tale of “Part-timers at the Clock Tower” in which four part-timers step on pedals to manually wind the clock.

Centennial Memorial Samsung Hall (Art Leeum), Secret Behind Barcode Numbers

The numbers on the clock depict the chronology of KU’s history, while some misunderstand them as barcodes. Their meanings are as follows.

1905: In 1905, Bosung College was established as a private school
10 12: In December 1910, Cheondogyo (Sohn Byung-hee) took over the management of Bosung College.
32 3: In March 1932, the school corporation, Central Institute (Kim Sung-soo), took over the management of Bosung College.
34 9: In September 1934, Anam Campus was completed and the school building moved to the campus
46 8: In August 1946, Bosung College changed to Korea University and was chartered as a university.
60 4 18: On April 18, 1960, over 3,000 KU students took to the streets, triggering the April 19 Revolution.
71 12: In December 1971, KU’s corporation merged with Woosuk College and inaugurated the College of Medicine and Medical Center.
80 1: In January 1980, the establishment of Jochiwon campus was approved.
91 10: In October 1991, the College of Medicine and Anam Hospital were relocated from Hyehwa-dong to the Green in Anam-dong.
02 3: In March 2002, Central Plaza was established.
2005: In 2005, Korea University celebrated its Centennial Anniversary.

Tiger Statue, Symbol of Korea University

As the symbol of Korea University and embodying the young, high-pitched spirit of the KU community, Tiger Statue was unveiled with funds raised among KU students in February 1965. The stone statue depicts a tiger sitting on top of the globe, calling for the KU community to take initiative to lead the world. At its base, “Tiger Statue Epitaph,” an inspirational statement written by Korea’s representative poet Jo Ji-hoon, is inscribed. As it is a tradition of Korea University to give graduating seniors a rubbed copy of the Tiger Statue Epitaph, you can see many students ardently rubbing the inscription every winter.

Wuthering Heights

Heights where strong winds blow all the time

The shady incline between the Hall of Political Sciences and Economics and the Tiger Plaza is called Wuthering Heights as strong winds blow year round, possibly because of surrounding buildings. Hot wires run beneath the asphalt road to help melt snow and ice in winter.

Nobel Plaza

The Nobel Plaza at the East Gate of the Science Campus has a stone statue installed in 2006. The statue is intended to be a pedestal of a future bust of the first Nobel Prize winner from the KU community. On the ground of the square, the Nobel Prize mark and its winners from 1980 through 2006 are inscribed. As the traditional totem poles were relocated to the south gate of the campus upon the construction of the plaza, the meeting point for lunch or dinner with seniors has also changed from ‘in front of the poles’ to the square.

Aegineung, Historic Place

Rest area for natural sciences students

Taegineung, the small hill located between the Science & Engineering Library and the Second Engineering Hall, is the nickname of the Science Campus. The tomb of King Jeongjo’s consort Won of the Hong clan in the Joseon Dynasty (official name: Site of Inmyeongwon) used to be situated here. The spot is dubbed Aegineung as she died only one year after becoming the king’s consort at a young age. Cherry blossoms on both sides of the stairs and royal azalea are in full bloom in April and May, respectively, beautifying the surroundings.

Monkey Path

The path running from Nobel Plaza to the South Gate on the Science Campus is a rest area with benches and tall sycamore trees. The benches have been relocated several times, but initially, they sat in a row along both sides of the path. When pedestrians strolled along the path, those sitting on the benches would observe them as if they were monkeys in a zoo.

Lighting on the Tower above LG-POSCO Hall

Lighting color changes in tandem with stock prices.

The lighting on the Tower of the LG-POSCO Hall changes to red when the stock price of the day rises and blue when it falls.