SOMETIMES, SOMETHING so small can affect many people like a butterfly effect. An object preserved for a long time can be one of those. It can become not only the vestiges of the past but also a hope for the future, like a tooth of a mummy which survived through many centuries. If you were to put just one thing in a time capsule for 500 years, what would your choice be?
Han Bo-ra
Soph., University College, Liberal Arts
Miniature model of a Korean palace — I chose this because a palace reveals the origins of each country by showing its history and culture. We are now marching step by step towards globalization. After 500 years, the world might have become integrated into one huge nation and Korea’s identity in the world could have gradually faded away. By showing them the traces of a Korean palace, I want to preserve the roots of Korea. 
Kim So-hwa
Soph., Dept. of International Relations
Travel diary — Someday I would make an around-the-world trip and keep a diary during the journey. I will write about the lifestyles and culture of each country I visit and also my impression of that particular country. Of course, I will include lots of pictures in it. 500 years later, notes on paper will probably become a rarity since almost everything would have turned digital by then. My diary may become a valuable historical record which informs future readers about the unofficial aspects of the world in specific terms.
Lee Jong-chang
Sr., Dept. of Political Science
Baseball equipment — Sports may well change with time and I wonder how baseball would have developed 500 years later. Soccer has evolved into a prominent sport unlike its origin and in 500 years’ time, baseball may have become a completely different sport by then. It will be an interesting experience for them to see baseball equipment such as bats and gloves of the past.
Kim Woo-shin
3rd Sem., Graduate School of Biotech.
My cells — One of the most active areas of scientific research today aims at slowing down aging and living longer. In the future, such biological technology should make astonishing progress and I might get a chance to be born again if my cells are well-preserved. How breathtaking would it be if a person from 2007 popped into being once more in 2507? I’d love to experience the whole new world of the future, 500 years later.
Hwang Jae-sung
Fresh., University College, Business Administration
Car steering wheel — In the future, cars will be controlled automatically and they won’t need a steering wheel to drive with, just like in science fiction movies. Automobiles will find locations by themselves if we select the destination. Posterity might wonder what this bizarre object was used for and could find it striking that in the past, people used to drive cars themselves despite all the danger of accidents.
Kim Chang-ho
President of the Time Capsule Company Korea Image
People use time capsules to pass down a variety of items of their time to later generations. Two years ago in Jinhae city, “Jinhae Time Capsule 2005” was buried under the ground. The time capsule contained over 460 items representing the past and the present of Jinhae, categorized into the culture, history, and life. The articles in the time capsule will come back to life exactly 500 years after the burial. Well-preserved items would be a great help to later generations in understanding the lifestyles and traditions of their ancestors in the right way.