"I really enjoy being able to travel with the professors and talk openly about life in Korea and the difficulties I face,"

Since last year, Li Bingbing, a graduate student in the Division of Computer Science and Engineering who has been studying at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), took a meaningful trip to Buan with professors on the weekend of May 11. On the bus and while looking out at the vast sea at Saemangeum with her mentors, she was able to shake off the loneliness of life in Korea. She said it was a very meaningful trip because she could candidly share concerns and difficulties about university life.

Having entered an era with some 1,200 international students, JBNU professors have rolled up their sleeves to ease the loneliness of foreign students and help them adapt to campus life. Their efforts around Teachers' Day are drawing attention as exemplary acts.

Professor Choi Jae-cheol (College of Humanities, Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies) and about 20 other professors who share the same faith formed a fellowship group called "International Friends (IF)" two years ago. The group was established to create a space for empathy and communication with those who might feel relatively isolated as the number of international students steadily increased.

Those professors have pooled their own funds to host monthly events such as welcome ceremonies, concerts, and trips to communicate with international students and promote cultural exchange. This initiative will reach its third anniversary this July.

On May 11, ahead of Teachers' Day, they organized a "healing trip" to gift international students the pleasures of spring. This trip was also made possible by professors using their own funds for their foreign mentees. That day, students walked with the professors around Saemangeum and Naebyeonsan, sharing worries about life in Korea and talking about their hopes.

The response from international students has been tremendous. What began as meetings with only a few participants spread by word of mouth among foreign students as an opportunity to spend meaningful time with professors. Now, each trip attracts more than 100 participants.

As news of the professors' benevolence has spread, more people have joined the effort. Small contributions from local churches have continued at every event, and nameless acts of assistance have provided heartwarming support. The JBNU Headquarters also provided vehicles on the day of the trip, and Yeongbin-gwan, a Chinese restaurant on campus, provided more than 100 free meals for the international students, expanding the scope of support.

Professor Cha Yeon-su, Vice-President of the Office of Planning, who leads these gatherings, said, "JBNU professors voluntarily stepped forward to offer the warm hospitality of Korea to international students who are striving to adapt to an unfamiliar environment. We will continue these trips and various events so that international students who come to study at JBNU can make many good memories during their time here."