Online Live Broadcast of Yangcheon Jangsu Cultural University Graduation Ceremony with Over 20,000 Graduates

Completion Ceremony Connecting and Communicating with Each Dong Graduate via Main Studio Online Live Broadcast

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Su-young), which has been operating the 'Yangcheon Jangsu Cultural University' for 17 years, concluded this year’s program with a somewhat different look at the graduation ceremony held on the 19th.

Yangcheon Jangsu Cultural University is a senior-focused program planned by Yangcheon-gu. Since the first session opened in 2004, it has produced 19,206 graduates up to last year, making it a truly popular program among seniors in the region.

Although it has been operated annually in each of the 18 neighborhoods, this year’s operation was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation. In the second half of the year, the 30th session of Jangsu Cultural University was held online in a non-face-to-face format, with a total of 475 seniors graduating.

At 2 p.m. on the 19th, graduates gathered at each neighborhood community center, and the 18 neighborhoods were connected online. At the main studio screen in the Haenuri Town Art Hall in Yangcheon-gu, seniors wearing graduation caps appeared from each neighborhood, while 25 graduates from Sinjeong 6-dong and honorary deans attended on-site at the Art Hall, confirming each other’s faces via the screen.

The graduation ceremony proceeded in the order of awarding certificates to representative seniors, graduation speeches, a review of the 30th Jangsu Cultural University, recreational activities such as a smartphone contest, and a talk concert. All processes were broadcast live online.

In particular, this year’s Yangcheon Jangsu Cultural University received great responses from seniors by producing and posting sitcom-style videos on YouTube that taught smartphone usage, app installation methods, and how to use unmanned ordering kiosks, in addition to the existing face-to-face programs. Useful content produced by the district and welfare centers was also used as educational material.

The graduation ceremony, which ended with a commemorative photo, was a very special moment held online due to the unique circumstances of COVID-19. Although the period for face-to-face interaction was short, the 30th graduates are the first post-COVID graduates who experienced online classes and an online graduation ceremony due to the pandemic.

One senior, saying, “I feel like a live broadcast celebrity. Living long, I never thought I’d experience something like this,” smiled broadly despite feeling awkward wearing the graduation cap.

Kim Su-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “Amid rapidly changing circumstances due to COVID-19, we aimed to implement digital inclusion by organizing online lectures so that seniors could enjoy the benefits of the digital information society. We also reflected seniors’ interests in health, welfare, and music, resulting in high satisfaction among them,” adding, “Going forward, Yangcheon, as an age-friendly city, will actively support seniors’ post-COVID lives with diverse and innovative policies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.