‘Syllabus_Archery_KiBobae.hwp’... Fierce “Click War” for Course Registration at Seoul National University

Rumors Spread About Instructor for 1-Credit Liberal Arts Course
Course Registration Competition Exceeds 10 to 1
Seoul National University Says "Not Yet Confirmed"

Rumors that Olympic archery gold medalist Ki Bobae (35) would be teaching a liberal arts course at Seoul National University sparked excitement among students.

This rumor began for the following reason. On January 26, 2023, ahead of the first semester, a syllabus for a 1-credit 'Archery' liberal arts course was uploaded to the Seoul National University course registration system.

The file was titled ‘Syllabus_Archery_KiBobae.hwp’. According to the details, classes were scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Fridays, but the ‘main professor’ field was left blank.

Olympic archery gold medalist Ki Bobae.

However, based on the file name, word quickly spread among students that Ki Bobae would be the instructor for the course. As the course registration period for the first semester began, a fierce “click war” broke out, with the competition ratio exceeding 10 to 1.

For a class with a capacity of 30 to 31 students, 310 students applied for the 9 a.m. session and 328 for the 11 a.m. session during the pre-registration period. Out of approximately 3,800 courses, this class ranked among the top 4 to 5 in terms of the number of applicants. This clearly demonstrated the high level of anticipation for a class taught by an Olympic gold medalist.

On the 26th of last month, a syllabus listing the name Gibo Bae for a 1-credit liberal arts course titled "Archery" was uploaded to the course registration system at Seoul National University.
[Photo source=Screenshot of Seoul National University course registration system]

The Seoul National University online community was also abuzz with talk about the course and Ki Bobae. Posts on the SNU Everytime message board included comments such as, “I successfully registered for Ki Bobae’s archery class,” “The Ki Bobae effect is amazing,” and “Professor Ki Bobae’s archery class had a 10:1 competition ratio.”

However, the university has stated that the instructor for the course has not yet been confirmed. Ki Bobae’s side told Kyunghyang Shinmun, “We are being cautious as we are still waiting for notification.” The instructor selection is expected to be finalized by the end of this month.