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Membership Training (MT) is an event held among university students 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.
Contents
Overview
MT's are designed especially to establish esprit de corps among university students within the same major or club, and to encourage students and teachers of the major or club to become familiar with each other. MT's are generally scheduled at the beginning of the year, when there will be a large influx of newcomers.
MT's are organised according to major, academic year, or club. The purpose of these events is to help the freshman students get accustomed to campus life, to establish connections within the major or club, for members to exchange information, and boost morale. Participants stay at resorts, often in remote locations, for a couple of days, staying overnight. Customarily, MT's are considered as an ice-breaker activity for new members.
The responsibility of organising the event rests with student leaders. Their responsibilities include organising the event, recruiting participants, arranging recreational events and making reservations. Primarily, an organiser's job is to make the event interesting and unique by applying their 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 the lectures start, and are focused on building relationships.
"OT" is orientation for the people within the same university department. OT's are centred on conveying the necessary information about campus life, such as course registration, specific classes, and annual events, and students are introduced the department's professors.
Students may also attend an activity called "Nonghwal", which is conducted by volunteers who want to help Korea's rural communities during summer vacation.
Beyond these official MT's, students often organize unofficial MT's. 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 congeniality of students. 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 and fulfil 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:
West of Seoul - Incheon Yung Jong Island / Eul-wang ri / Kang hwa do
East of Seoul - Gapyeoung-goon / Nearby Gang-chon station / Paju Limjin-gak / Po-cheun / Gwa cheoun Chung-gye mountain / Near Daeseong-ri Station
East of Gyeonggi-do - Chung-cheong do Ahn myeoun do / Dae chun / Dae bu island, Je bu island / Yong-in Gogiri vally / Everland (amusement park & 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, 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, senior students may mistreat or haze junior students by pressuring them to drink alcoholic beverages, such as soju or Makgeolli, or by forcing them to conduct embarrassing behaviour.
There have also been a few reported cases of assault. The Ministry of Education has made efforts to restrain the situation, and students found committing human rights abuses can be held legally responsible and could face severe punishments.