Membership Training in Korea
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Membership Training (MT) is an event held among university
student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...
s in South Korea. These events last roughly two days and are considered a free-form training session, where students spend time socializing with peers in the same academic majors or clubs, often at a remote location.


Overview

MTs are designed especially to establish ''esprit de corps'' among university students within the same academic year, major or club, and to encourage students and teachers of these groups to become familiar with each other. They are generally scheduled at the beginning of the school year when there is a large influx of newcomers. The purpose of these "ice-breaking" events is to help
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...
students become accustomed to campus life, to establish connections within the major or club, for members to exchange information, and to boost morale. Participants stay at resorts, often in remote locations, boarding overnight for a couple of days. Organization of the event rests upon the student leaders. Their responsibilities include: recruiting participants, arranging recreational activities, and making reservations. The organizer's primary job is to make the event interesting and unique by applying creative flair.


Varieties of membership training

There are several types of membership training. ''Sae-teo'' (Korean: 새터) is an MT that helps freshman students learn the basics of campus life and gives them a chance to get to know other freshmen. These sessions open before lectures start, and are focused on building relationships. "OT" is orientation for the people within the same university department. OTs are centred on conveying the necessary information about campus life, such as course registration, specific classes, and annual events. The students are introduced to the department's professors. Students may also attend an activity called , which is conducted by volunteers who want to help Korea's rural communities during summer vacation. Beyond these official MTs, students also often organize unofficial MTs. They are planned by various campus clubs whose members want to create groups of like-minded friends.


Common experiences in membership training

Students often travel to their destination using chartered buses. Upon arriving, the student union prepares dinner while other students talk with professors or play games. Students sit in a circle while sharing dinner. After dinner, the student union arranges a group game to increase the students' congeniality. Some common games include quiz games, cross-dressing games, and couple games. Occasionally, student-leaders invite professional singers to perform. Leaders may then prepare an activity called "Moonlight Dating", in which students randomly choose a boy or girl counterpart and fulfill random missions outside of the resort under the moonlight. Early the next day, the student union prepares light meals. After students complete packing their bags, they gather to take a group photo before boarding the bus and returning to school. This marks the end of the official MT; however, some students continue to meet.


Locations of membership training

While locations vary, below are a number of well-known Membership Training locales: Near the Seoul West -
Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
: Yeongjongdo / Eurwangni / Ganghwado East - Gapyeong / Nearby
Gangchon Station Gangchon Station is a railway station on the Gyeongchun Line. Railway stations in Gangwon Province, South Korea Seoul Metropolitan Subway stations Metro stations in Chuncheon Railway stations opened in 1939 {{Seoul-metro-station- ...
/ Pocheon / Near Daeseong-ri Station(One of the Most Famous MT locales) South - Gwacheon Chung-gye mountain East of
Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
- Chung-cheong do Ahn myeoun do / Dae chun / Dae bu island, Je bu island / Yong-in Gogiri valley / Everland (
amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
&
Resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
) Gang-won do - Gang-reung si, Sok cho si (vallies located at Yang-gu goon, In je goon, Hong cheun goon ) Jeolla-do (including Gwang ju) - Jang-su goon, Nam won si / Gu rae goon / Dam yang goon / South coast Jeju island - Internal of Jeju island Gyung sang do -
Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, North of Gyung sang do - Po hang si / Yung duk goon / Wool jin goon - Busan, South of Gyung sang do - Song jung beach / Yang san si / Geoje island


Membership training issues

During Membership Training, upperclassmen students may mistreat or haze underclassmen students by pressuring them to drink alcoholic beverages, such as soju or makgeolli, or by forcing them to behave in an embarrassing manner. There have also been a few reported cases of sexual assault. The Ministry of Education has made efforts to impose restraints on these sessions, and students found committing human rights abuses can be held legally responsible, and could face severe punishments.


See also

*
Education in South Korea Education in South Korea is provided by both public schools and private schools. Both types of schools receive funding from the government, although the amount that the private schools receive is less than the amount of the state schools. Sout ...


References


External links


Famous MT area of University students in KoreaMembership Training in Korean Universities
{{Korea topics Education in South Korea