Dear new students of 2024!
Welcome. I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on your matriculation to Seoul National University. Congratulations also to the families and friends who have supported our new students through a difficult process.
Today is a big moment for you beginning a new journey in your life. The college experience you've only vaguely imagined is about to start. Please cherish the excitement that fills your heart.
Dear freshmen!
One of the things I've found in my 30 years at SNU is that there is no one right answer to college life, and now it’s up to you to find your own answers. Think carefully, but act boldly. Don't try too hard to conform yourself to the standards of those around you. Ask yourself if your judgments and decisions are truly your own.
In “On Liberty,” John Stuart Mill wrote,“Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides.” My hope is that you, now at the beginning of your college careers, will be able to stretch out and grow that way. But this can only happen if you actively choose to be free and put that freedom into practice. Living an unconventional life takes more courage and effort than you might think.
This path to self-reliance will not be easy; perhaps there will be more failures than successes, more setbacks than accomplishments. But don't give up, and keep moving forward. The ideas and challenges that seem reckless now may become the new norms that change your life and the future of our society. I will root for you to find your own answers.
Dear new students!
Remember that not all answers can be equally good. Your personal achievements should not come at the expense of the well-being of your neighbors and society. Not only is such a life a burden to society, but also is unlikely to yield happiness in itself. Such a life fails to capture the great joy of genuine empathy with others and the realization of universal human values.
That's why it's important not to run straight ahead, but to look around and behind. You need to constantly reflect on whether your life plans are aligned with the needs of our times. This empathy and judgment comes from recognizing that our lives are long and intricately connected - narrowly to our families and colleagues, and broadly to our society and humanity, both to the past and the future.
It's also the foundation of the communication and collaboration skills that are emphasized so much these days. I guess you are used to the experience of individual effort leading directly to results, for better or worse, but the myriad challenges of our time that you'll need to understand and solve in the future are not something that anyone can do alone. No matter how brilliant an individual may be, if they don't have the empathy and collaboration of others, they won't be able to shine in the real world.
New students!
It has become a commonplace observation that humanity is currently living in an era of great transition. Rapid advances in science and technology, socio-economic changes, dizzying fluctuations in the international order, and a climate crisis that has reached critical proportions—there are countless challenges ahead of us. In these times of uncertainty and crisis, the role of universities is even more important. Universities are the centers of collective intelligence, where problems are soberly assessed and the future is creatively shaped. At the center of this is you. As you face the uncertainties of the future, Seoul National University will help you succeed in that role.
Universities are institutions that impart and create knowledge and skills, but more fundamentally, they build people. What you learn and who you become in college will shape our society. So, break out of your comfort zone and inertia, experience widely and learn as much as you can. Ask big questions and be brave. And always remember that you are not alone in the process. Seoul National University will not be the place to give you a predetermined path, but rather a place where you can grow freely.
Congratulations again on your admission and best wishes for a great start. The excitement you feel now will fuel the energy and enthusiasm of our community. Thank you.
February 29th, 2024
RYU Honglim
President of Seoul National University