On the evening of 19 October 2016, the Sports Complex was set ablaze with Korean fever as Hallyu Night took place featuring the highlight of the first ever "Hallyu 2016 @ Korean Wave" programme by TAR UC. The event was indeed a huge hit as various stellar k-pop performances took to the stage in a dazzling night of k-pop ecstasy. Jointly organised by TAR UC and Dankook University, the event marks a major milestone in the institution's collaboration with its Korean counterpart, as it continues to promote the beautiful Korean culture amongst its students through language so as to encourage them to further their studies in Korea.
The evening started off with a rather energetic opening performance by the cheerleading team who inspired awe among the audience with their gravity-defying stunts. Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, President of TAR UC then bid a warm welcome to the main guests of the night, His Excellency Yu Hyun-seok, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Malaysia and Professor Daeshik Kang, Executive Vice President of External Affairs for Dankook University. Another invited guest from Dankook University, Dr Lee Jaedong, Associate Vice President for International Affairs, Dankook University only made his appearance later in the event.
In his opening speech, Datuk Dr Tan remarked: "As Korea has become the new preferred destination for tertiary education among Malaysians, our partnership with Dankook University is timely opening up a new pathway for students to pursue higher education in Korea via the Korean Language Centre in TAR UC. We will continue to seek new avenues to take our collaboration with Dankook University to greater heights with the objective of providing opportunities to our students to advance their education in Korea."
His Excellency Yu Hyun-seok also took the opportunity to express his amazement with the amount of enthusiasm shown among Malaysians towards the Korean culture. "This event definitely marks an important milestone in strengthening ties between Korea and Malaysia. I definitely look forward to more collaboration between both our countries as well as between our embassy and TAR UC," he further added.
Then, there were traditional performances by Korean guest performers which included a rather lively group percussion performance and a remarkable display of talent by a mere 12-year-old Korean girl who skillfully plucked on a traditional stringed-instrument. There was also a singing performance by TAR UC's staff and lecturers who sparked excitement among the audience with popular k-pop hits. But what really stole the limelight was none other than the electrifying k-pop dance performances by students from the Dance & Music Society. Clad in k-pop styled outfits, they really did come across as k-pop artist look-alikes and they rocked it out on the stage just as well.
Not forgetting, there were also lucky draw sessions with attractive prizes such as a virtual reality headset, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and even a 40-inch Samsung LED TV. Bachelor of Creative Multimedia (Hons) in Multimedia Design student, Yap Wei San emerged as the lucky winner of the 40-inch Samsung TV. She was indeed very glad to be at the event. "I got to know about this event from the TAR UC website and decided to join to support my friends," she said. "Overall, it was a very interesting and exciting one. I definitely have no regrets coming here today," she added.
