Sporting rivalries run deep at Korean universities

There are many reasons to be proud of your university, from academic achievement and chic campuses to famous alumni and worldwide rankings. But only one thing draws cheering students in their thousands to support their school – their prowess on the pitch.

As in many countries around the world, Korea has some bitter intercollegiate athletic rivalries. Instead of boat races or semi-professional American football games, it’s on the regular soccer field that many universities here initially started to boast.

Since 2008, inter-university sports in Korea have been organized in the KUSF College Sports U-League. The existence of the league helps to strengthen existing sporting rivalries, introduce new ones and let everyone know exactly where they stand in the national competition.

The league was originally founded solely for football. It gradually expanded over the years to also include baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soft tennis and volleyball.

The size of the league has also grown, with more than 110 universities now taking part. Universities now predominantly compete in regional divisions, with the best teams progressing to a national league.

The expansion of the U-League has helped fuel some of the more intense varsity rivalries, including the most famous of all: the Korea-Yonsei derby.

Undoubtedly the most famous varsity sports rivalry in Korea today, the Korea University vs. Yonsei University competition began in the 1920s, well before the U-League was formed.

But the fighting spirit between the two sides has intensified as they meet more frequently in the U-League as well as at their own annual derby weekend.

At the annual Korea-Yonsei Derby, the two elite universities compete in five different sports: soccer, basketball, ice hockey, rugby and baseball. Neither of those results count for the U-League, so it’s pure bragging rights on the table.

After football was played for the first time in 1927 during the Japanese occupation, the two teams added the other four sports over the following decades.

The enrolled students and even some alumni sometimes take part in the games, which can be so big that they have to be held in some of Seoul’s big sports venues like Seoul Jamsil Gymnasium and Seoul Olympic Stadium, which can hold up to 60,000 spectators.

“The Korea-Yonsei Derby was the event I was looking forward to the most,” said Lee Hye-lin, a 2021 graduate of Korea University. “Winning the derby made it feel like a festival, so i was excited because it got everyone excited we feel like we accomplished something.

“I miss those days when I watch the Korea-Yonsei derby on Instagram or YouTube. It brings back the fun memories and makes me want to go back there.”

The competition between Korea and Yonsei in the U-League has also been palpable as the two sides have dominated soccer in the league, having won two titles each since 2008.

Their U-League competition feels almost like an extension of the Korea-Yonsei derby as they all play the same sports except rugby.

Korea and Yonsei are also two of the few universities that operate four sports in the league: both compete in baseball, basketball, soccer, and ice hockey.

The competition between Korea and Yonsei isn’t the only rivalry that has continued to develop in the U-League.

Outside of Seoul, there are local rivalries across the country. A particularly bitter rivalry exists between Jeonju University and Honam University, two schools on either side of the divide between North Jeolla and South Jeolla.

Jeonju University is located in North Jeolla while Honam University is in metropolitan Gwangju which, although technically separate, is right in the heart of South Jeolla. The two schools’ football teams are considered to be the best in Southwest Korea.

However, the derby between the two teams does not have a formal name as its history is not as long as the Korea-Yonsei derby.
Both universities joined the U-League in 2008 and have shown their class at football by topping their regions on a number of occasions.

Jeonju University football team has led the region seven times and won the league title once in the 2021 season, while Honam University has ranked first five times but has yet to win the league.

Both teams belonged to the same region last season and Jeonju University dominated the derby by beating Honam University twice.
Jeonju defeated their rivals 2-1 on April 1, 2022 at their home stadium before celebrating a 5-2 win in Gwangju on June 17.

Jeonju University’s performance in the U-League has earned them the nickname Jeolla’s Juventus due to the university’s logo resembling the Italian football club’s emblem.

The U-League and the Korea Yonsei Derby weekend aren’t the only venues where student-athletes compete.

Back in the capital in 2018, Seoul National University and Hanyang University attempted to launch a new rivalry dubbed the “Battle for the Capital.” The idea behind the rivalry centered on the names of the universities – Seoul National University is named after Seoul, while Hanyang was the ancient name for the capital city during the Joseon Dynasty.

Students from the two universities competed to be the city’s ultimate representative at various events, including volleyball, basketball, and even hip-hop performances.

Seoul National University emerged victorious, reasserting itself as the true capital city university with a score of 8-5 in all events.

Since then, the two sides have not played the capital city derby and canceled a planned rematch in 2019, but the U-League rivalry continues.

Hanyang snatched the title of the true capital of Korea from their local rivals last season, capturing a perfect baseball win in May and also triumphing in soccer in September.

University rivalries across the country are likely to intensify in the coming seasons as the U-League implemented a relegation and promotion system last season to increase competition in the league.

The upcoming 2023 U-League season kicks off in mid-March, just after Korean universities start the academic year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]