Students gather for the departure ceremony of the Narasarang Hogukgil national march. [Dongguk University WISE Campus]
Students gather for the departure ceremony of the Narasarang Hogukgil national march. [Dongguk University WISE Campus]

Dongguk University WISE Campus held a departure ceremony Sunday and launched a cross-country march to visit independence movement and national defense heritage sites across North Gyeongsang Province.

Organized by the North Gyeongsang Provincial Government and run by the North Gyeongsang Hoguk Patriots and Veterans Foundation, the Narasarang Hogukgil national march is designed to foster patriotism among university students through a walking pilgrimage of independence movement and national defense sites in the province, combined with volunteer activities in villages of independence fighters' descendants.

Forty students from Dongguk University WISE Campus are taking part in the 10-day program, which runs through July 8.

Beginning in Andong, participants will walk a total of 60 kilometers through major heritage sites across the province, passing through Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok, Pohang, Gyeongju, Chilgok, Gumi, Sangju and Mungyeong.

Students will visit villages of independence fighters' descendants in the Yeongyang and Yeongdeok areas to carry out volunteer work. They will also explore heritage sites through hands-on experiences — including a Sinheung Military Academy independence army simulation and a Battle of Cheongsan-ri survival exercise — as well as on-site lectures by experts.

Choi Seong-bin, a fourth-year business administration student and student council president who attended the ceremony, said he was already moved by the prospect of walking the path his forebears had taken. "My heart is already overflowing at the thought of learning vivid history by walking the road of patriotism and national service that our ancestors walked," he said.

Dongguk University WISE Campus President Ryu Wan-ha said in his remarks that the march would serve as a living classroom beyond the lecture hall. "This national march, the first ever undertaken by our university, will be a vivid educational experience where students step outside the classroom to learn the spirit of sacrifice shown by those who came before us," he said.

Han Hui-won, chief executive of the North Gyeongsang Hoguk Patriots and Veterans Foundation, urged the students to serve as a vital link between past and future. "Through this great march, I ask you to learn the important historical memories of our forebears and become a precious link that passes them on to future generations," Han said. "As young people who will lead the future of the Republic of Korea, walk boldly with the spirit of patriotism in your hearts."


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