HUFS Hosts "Thai Songkran Festival" on Campus

Thai Language Reading Contest Also Held

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies held a cultural event recreating "Songkran," the traditional Thai New Year festival.

On the 3rd, at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Seoul Campus during the '2026 HUFS Songkran Festival,' a student is performing a traditional Thai dance. Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

The Department of Thai Studies and the Department of Thai Interpretation and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies announced on April 10 that they hosted the "2026 HUFS Songkran Festival." The event, held on April 3 at the Seoul Campus, was co-organized by the Royal Thai Embassy in Korea and the Thailand Cultural Center in Korea, with support from the Institute for the Promotion of Special Foreign Language Education.

The event featured performances of traditional Thai dances such as "Ram Wai Phun" (the Blessing Dance) and "Ram Chattharapakhi" (the Dance of the Four Regions of Thailand), as well as a popular music stage. Participants also shared Thai food and took part in a water-splashing ceremony to wish for good luck in the New Year. About 200 students, faculty, and staff attended the festival.

Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat stated, "Songkran was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023," expressing his gratitude to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for consistently organizing the event. Simuang Kewarin, Director of the Thailand Cultural Center in Korea, explained, "This event was designed to allow students and citizens to naturally experience the Thai language and culture."

On the morning of the same day, a Thai language reading contest was also held, aimed at selecting outstanding Thai language learners. A total of 13 participants from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Sungkyunkwan University, Busan University of Foreign Studies, and Kangwon National University took part in the contest. The grand prize went to Thanpibi, a third-year student in the Department of Thai Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The second prize was awarded to Jae Eun Yoo (Department of Thai Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), and the third prize went to Jeong Hyeon Lee (Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, Sungkyunkwan University).

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