FOR THE first time since 2019, Yeon-go-jeon—the Yonsei-Korea games—has returned. Having been canceled the last two years due to the pandemic, the Yon-Ko games were one of the most anticipated events of the year as students were able to witness spectacular displays of athleticism fueled by school pride and the rivalry between Yonsei and Korea Universities. After the success of this year’s games, Yeon-go-jeon was cemented as one of the highlights of Yonsei students’ post Corona college lives.

The history of the Yon-Ko games

   The Yon-Ko games are a two-day long annual event with sports matches between teams from Yonsei University and their athletic rival, Korea University. The two universities’ first encounter can be dated back to a tennis match in 1925, when they were still known as Yon-hi College[1] and Bo-sung College[2]. However, the Yon-Ko games we know today officially started in 1965 with tournaments for five sports: basketball, ice hockey, soccer, rugby, and baseball[3]. Traditionally, games for baseball, basketball, and ice hockey take place on the first day of the event while those for rugby and soccer occur on the second. 

   Throughout the event’s long history, the Yon-Ko games have seen many famous alumni from both universities compete. In the 1970s, renowned soccer player Cha Bum-kun—who was formerly in three Bundesliga[4] clubs—played for Korea University in the Yon-Ko games, as did his son, Cha Du-ri, nearly 30 years later. Considered by some to be the “golden era” of South Korean basketball, the popularity of university athletes was at its peak during the 1990s. Famous players, such as Seo Jang-hoon (Class of ’96, Dept. of Sports and Leisure Studies) and his teammates, were known as the dok-su-ri oh-hyeong-jae—the five “eagle brothers” of Yonsei—and had many female fans across the country[5]. In the 2010s, the Yon-Ko games saw Hwang Ui-jo (Class of ’14, Dept. of Physical Education), who made his Greek Super League[6] debut this year, lead Yonsei’s soccer team as their forward[7]. There was also a spotlight on the South Korean national basketball players Heo Hoon (Class of ’17, Dept. of Sports and Leisure Studies) and Heo Ung (Class of ’15, Dept. of Sports and Leisure Studies), sons of the celebrity basketball player Heo Jae.

An unforgettable experience

   The five matches between the two universities are not the only events that occur during the games. Yonsei and Korea pump up their school spirit and build anticipation for the Yon-Ko games with various events, such as the Hap dong eung won jeon—a joint cheering event with the participation of students from both schools. Additionally, the Amateur Yon-Ko games, which are a series of matches played by amateur sports teams from the two universities, usually occur around the same time as the Yon-Ko games. This event features the only female sports tournament between Yonsei and Korea, where the universities’ women’s soccer teams, W-Kicks and FC Elise, compete in a heated game to gain victory for their respective schools. Non-sporting competitions also take place prior to the Yon-Ko games, one of them being the blood drive competition. This event reroutes the spirit of competition between Yonsei and Korea Universities to serve a socially beneficial cause, encouraging a culture of altruism among their student bodies. Needless to say, school-wide activities such as these help ramp up excitement for the upcoming games and increase the sense of school spirit.

   In an interview with The Yonsei Annals, Cho Hye-in (Sr., Dept. of English Language & Lit.), who went to the 2019 Yon-Ko games’ baseball match, described how she could feel the exuberance from the spectators when Yonsei University won 6:3 against Korea University. However, what was most memorable was not the match itself but rather the experience she shared with her friends. She recalled getting their faces painted, dressing up in blue, and taking photos with the Yonsei mascot Yeon-su-ri  as the hidden highlights of the Yon-Ko games.

An insight into the athletes’ preparation

   The Annals interviewed Ahn Tae-hoon (Sr., Dept. of Sport Industry Studies) and Kim Won-min (Sr., Dept. of Physical Education) from Yonsei University’s ice hockey team to gain further insight into the event from an athlete’s perspective. Kim—who was a freshman athlete when he competed in the 2019 ice hockey match—described the Yon-Ko games as one of the most honorable and nerve-wracking moments in his ice hockey career. He recognized the visible difference in spectator size between regular league tournaments and the Yon-Ko games, making the ice rink hardly recognizable and adding more pressure onto his teammates. However, being more experienced now, both mentally and physically, Kim felt that he was able to compete against Korea University’s players with a calmer mindset. 

   As elite athletes representing top universities in the country, players undergo rigorous training to be in the best shape possible. Especially in the lead up to the Yon-Ko games, extensive preparations are involved as players strive to put on their best performance against their competitors. Ahn commented that he felt more pressure than excitement going up against Korea University due to the sheer amount of expectations and anticipation that had been accumulating over several years of the Yon-Ko games’ absence. Kim said that the pandemic had taken a large toll on the team’s motivation as the lack of games had stunted their ability to actively improve their skills under the professional atmosphere of official tournament settings. Fortunately, the resumption of the university ice hockey league and the Yon-Ko games signaled a return to normalcy, significantly increasing the players’ morale. Ahn added that since the Yon-Ko games were a festival for both universities, the primary purpose of their performance on the rink was to entertain fellow students and give them a cause to celebrate being a Yonseian. Just as much as the players trained hard to win the games for Yonsei, the team hoped that everyone who came to support them was able to fully enjoy the adrenaline-rushing experience of watching everything that ice hockey had to offer.

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   As one of the most anticipated events of the year, many students—especially those who had not had the chance to experience the games until this year—looked forward to relishing the wild and feverish atmosphere of the sports arenas. For the teams participating, however, the Yon-Ko games signified more than simply defeating their opponents, as it was also an opportunity to publicly showcase what each of the players had to offer to Yonsei after three long years of hiatus. Despite the wait, however, the return of the Yon-Ko games exceeded expectations and provided both the spectators and the athletes a glorious exhibition of school pride and remarkable athleticism.

[1] Yon-hi  College: The former name of Yonsei University

[2] Bo-sung  College: The former name of Korea University

[3] The Korea Economic Daily

[4] Bundesliga: A professional soccer league in Germany

[5] The JoongAng

[6] Super League: A major professional soccer league

[7] STN Sports