A Contactless University Graduation Ceremony
KT Corp., South Korea’s largest telecommunications company, has showcased the country’s first drive-in commencement ceremony for 2019 graduates who could not have a traditional celebration because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The contactless ceremony was held at the Seoul campus of Hongik University last week. Students wearing graduation caps and their families attended the ceremony in their cars, with their images shown on large display panels. The entire ceremony was broadcast live on Hongik University and KT’s official YouTube channels.
“I hope this new ceremony show hope and joy to all graduates who are taking their first steps into a larger world,” said Park Hyun-Jin, head of KT’s Customer Strategy Business Division. “We will continue to develop and support contactless services to help people get over this difficult time of COVID-19.”
Korea’s telecom leader joined hands with Hongik University for a safe and innovative ceremony as the pandemic persists. To help cope with COVID-19, KT is staging a social campaign, dubbed “Ma-Eum: TACT (Heart to Heart),” providing technology supports for couples whose weddings are delayed, shop owners losing customers, school seniors preparing for national exams, and college students missing on-campus festivals.
The ceremony opened with a commencement speech by university president Yang Woo-suk, followed by a congratulatory performance by Nam Kyung-joo, musical theater actor and faculty member, and students of the Graduate School of Performing Arts. Then a drive-through diploma presentation ceremony was held, and the graduates tossed their caps into the air in a traditional symbolic ending.
“We prepared a no-contact, online ceremony in a unique Hongik way in place of a traditional diploma-awarding ceremony of the 2019 school year,” President Yang Woo-suk said in his commencement speech. “I hope this will be a special and significant moment for all of our students who are winding up their academic pursuit to celebrate and congratulate one another amid this pandemic situation.”