120 student representatives from 8 regional teams compete nationwide
About 300 students, faculty and alumni take part
Broadcasting and media students handle live streaming and drone footage
Korea Polytechnics held the inaugural Chairman's Cup soccer tournament Wednesday at its Asan campus in South Chungcheong Province, drawing about 300 students, faculty and alumni. It marked the first time members from all 40-plus campuses across the country had gathered on a single field.
The tournament featured 120 student representatives selected through regional qualifying rounds from eight zones — Seoul Jeongsu, Incheon, Chuncheon, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu, Changwon and Biotech. Players wore regional uniforms regardless of their home campus or field of study, while campus deans, faculty and student council officers joined in to cheer and mingle.
Korea Polytechnics this year declared a shift in its educational philosophy — from training in technical skills to cultivating well-rounded technical professionals — and has been strengthening liberal arts education that includes general workplace competencies. The tournament reflected that spirit, placing greater emphasis on communication, teamwork and community than on winning or losing.
Students from the Asan campus's broadcasting and media department produced all video coverage for the event. They planned and executed a YouTube live stream and drone aerial footage, handling everything from filming to broadcast transmission and applying classroom skills in a real-world setting.
Park Geun-jong, president of the Korea Polytechnics alumni association, said the event was "a meaningful occasion for sunbae who have worked hard on the factory floor to cheer on their juniors," adding that the association would expand exchanges "to serve as a genuine bridge between the university and its alumni."
Lee Cheol-su, chairman of Korea Polytechnics, said that "as technology advances, the value of empathy, collaboration and responsibility — things only humans can offer — grows ever greater," and that "the experience of running together and understanding one another will be the starting point for growing into technical professionals who know both people and the workplace."
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