On Sep. 17th, Kang, Keum-Sil, a famous Korean politician and a lawyer had a colloquium on"Living as Intellectuals” at SNU student dormitory.

Telling students of her own life experiences from her school years as a student at SNU Department of Law to years as a noted figure on the progressive camp, Ms. Kang emphasized the importance of intellectuals as a leading power to make the society into a truly democratic one. She also encouraged students to take actions in their own fields to abolish academic cliquism.

As if to prove her fame as the first female Minister of Justice, the ruling Uri Party Mayoral candidate of Seoul City(both are her former statuses), and so on, the SNU student dormitory was packed with audience that there was hardly any room left even for standing.

Some students raised their hands competitively to ask questions that were either directly or indirectly related with the topic of Ms. Kang’s speech.

One student at SNU asked what specific things in everyday lives intellectuals can do out of a sense of noblesse oblige. She replied that they should do their very best at their own fields of work, because that is the most beneficial thing that intellectuals can do for other people.

In answering the question of desirable political participation by university students to make Korea into a truly democratic society, Ms. Kang said that students need to take actions to stabilize democratic culture in their everyday lives, stressing the importance of changing what is undemocratic in our own lives.

Gwanaksa, the student dormitory, is holding another colloquium in October, with Kim, Moon-Soo, the governor of Gyeonggi Province, as a speaker. “Living as Intellectuals” was the third colloquium Gwanaksa had for this year.