Sungkyunkwan hosts first classical exam for foreigners living in Korea
In short
The first classical examination for foreigners residing in Korea was held on October 5, 2026 at Sungkyunkwan's Myeongnyundang in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with participants in traditional scholar attire writing answers. Newsis reported participants recited the Baeknokdonggyu and bowed before the exam, and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported the on-site topic was to write about an aspect of Korea they would like to introduce to their home country. Chosun Ilbo reported the event was organised by the Sungkyunkwan Yudohoe headquarters as part of a Confucian culture festival.
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The first classical examination for foreigners residing in Korea (제1회 재한 외국인 과거 시험) was held on October 5, 2026 at Sungkyunkwan in Jongno-gu, Seoul, according to Newsis, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Chosun Ilbo. Participants wrote their answers in traditional scholar dress, wearing yugeon and dopo, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Chosun Ilbo reported. Newsis said participants recited the Baeknokdonggyu before the exam and also performed a bow. [ 3 , 4 , 7 ]
Chosun Ilbo reported the event was organised by the Sungkyunkwan Yudohoe headquarters and planned as part of a Confucian culture festival marking the 80th anniversary of the organisation's founding and the 2,577th birthday of Confucius. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported the event was held under the slogan “achieving a dream is giving a gift to yourself”, and that the topic announced on site asked participants to write about the aspect of Korea they wanted to introduce to their home country, and why. [ 4 , 7 ]
The documents differ on how the venue is named: Newsis described it as Sungkyunkwan University in Jongno-gu, Seoul, while Kyunghyang Shinmun and Chosun Ilbo referred to Sungkyunkwan and to Myeongnyundang. No document reported how many people took part, who won top honours or what the results were. Photo reports on the event were published from the morning of October 5 by Kukmin Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun, Newsis, Maeil Business and Korea Economic Daily, with Chosun Ilbo filing shortly after midnight. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The exam is a cultural rather than an official event, staged by a Confucian organisation on a university and shrine site in central Seoul, so its direct effects are limited to the participants and visitors. It does indicate continued efforts by Confucian bodies to present tradition to a foreign audience in Korea, a theme Chosun Ilbo tied to the organisation's 80th anniversary and a Confucius birthday festival.
Key facts
- The first examination for foreigners residing in Korea (제1회 재한 외국인 과거 시험) was held on October 5, 2026 at Sungkyunkwan in Jongno-gu, Seoul [ 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Participants wrote their answers in traditional scholar dress, wearing yugeon and dopo [ 4 , 7 ]
- Before the exam, participants recited the Baeknokdonggyu and performed a bow, according to Newsis [ 3 ]
- The exam topic announced on site was to write about the aspect of Korea the participant wanted to introduce to their home country, and why [ 4 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reported the event's slogan was “achieving a dream is giving a gift to yourself” [ 4 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reported the event was organised by the Sungkyunkwan Yudohoe headquarters and planned as part of a Confucian culture festival marking the organisation's 80th anniversary and Confucius's 2,577th birthday [ 7 ]
- Photo coverage of the event was published by Kukmin Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun, Newsis, Maeil Business, Korea Economic Daily and Chosun Ilbo [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The first examination for foreigners residing in Korea was held on October 5, 2026 at Sungkyunkwan in Jongno-gu, Seoul [ 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Participants wore traditional scholar attire, yugeon and dopo, and wrote answers during the exam [ 4 , 7 ]
- Several outlets published photographs of the event [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Who took part, how many participated, and who won top honours No document reports a participant count, eligibility rules or results; Chosun Ilbo and Korea Economic Daily headlines mention the top-grade title (장원급제) only as a phrase, not as an outcome.
- The exact name of the venue Newsis describes the site as Sungkyunkwan University in Jongno-gu, Seoul, while Kyunghyang Shinmun and Chosun Ilbo refer to Sungkyunkwan and to Myeongnyundang; the documents do not reconcile the naming.
- The exam topic and the event slogan Both are reported only by Kyunghyang Shinmun and do not appear in the other documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kukmin Ilbo publishes photos of foreign students taking the classical exam [ 1 ]
- Seoul Shinmun publishes a photo report on the first examination for foreigners in Korea [ 2 ]
- Newsis publishes five photos from Sungkyunkwan University in Jongno-gu, Seoul, showing participants reciting the Baeknokdonggyu, bowing and writing [ 3 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes a field photo essay from Myeongnyundang including the exam topic and the event slogan [ 4 ]
- Maeil Business publishes a photo captioned on the difficulty of the exam [ 5 ]
- Korea Economic Daily publishes a photo of the foreign classical exam [ 6 ]
- Early the next day, Chosun Ilbo reports the organiser and the anniversary occasion behind the event [ 7 ]