Student Societies

Baramsori is a joint pungmul troupe of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a member of Sogang’s union of pungmul troupes. Through pungmul performance centered on traditional percussion—janggu, buk, kkwaenggwari and jing—students experience the value and meaning of Korean traditional arts first-hand. We aim to preserve and carry on Pilbong Nongak of Pilbong Village in Imsil, Jeonbuk State, designated as National Intangible Heritage on 1 August 1988.

Through regular practice, members learn pungmul nori based on Pilbong-gut as well as the basic rhythms and ensemble playing of samulnori from various regions, and study the history and cultural background of pungmul together. Beyond playing technique, we aim to deepen understanding of and pride in our traditional culture. By performing at the spring pangut, the pungmul performance of the Daedongje festival, joint concerts and other events, we share our work with the university community and help create a lively campus culture—passing Korean traditional culture on to many fellow students while building ties among engineering students.

Baramsori values cooperation and harmony. Because pungmul is music completed when many instruments match each other’s sound, members naturally learn to cooperate and to care for one another. We will keep contributing to the continuation and development of traditional culture, creating a place where students can feel and express the beauty of our culture.

Bluenote is a band society that has continued since 2004. Students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering who want to make music come together to perform, and the society aims to build bonds between seniors and juniors. Each year at the start of the spring semester we recruit new members through auditions, and they join the society’s regular concert from September of that year. There is no fixed period of membership—members take part as they wish—and the society’s budget is shared openly with all members.

Bluenote’s free atmosphere and mutual trust let every member enjoy a full student life and pursue their own musical goals. Our pride is that at the regular concert held every semester, each member shows their musical talent, meets alumni, and grows as a musician and as a student.

Sweet Sensation is the band society of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Sogang’s College of Engineering. Through music, it strengthens ties between senior and junior students in the department and fosters a healthy campus culture. New members selected by audition each March are active for about three semesters, up to the regular concert in September of the following year, after which they become the main cohort and lead the society’s operation and event planning. The society is run by the main cohort’s leadership and the new cohort’s representatives, and all spending and changes in the operating budget are announced openly, so that it remains a trusted student organization.

Regular activities follow the academic calendar. At the start of each semester we introduce the society to new students with a performance at the freshman orientation, and in March we hold auditions for the new cohort and an opening general meeting. Homecoming Day each May is a large event that brings together current students, students on leave and alumni: the new cohort plays its first stage, and members share practical advice on student life and careers. Over the summer, a membership trip (MT) strengthens the bonds between cohorts.

The September regular concert, the fruit of each year’s work, is the society’s most important event. Run by the main cohort in a rented venue, it presents our music to an audience, with the main cohort, the new cohort and an alumni team all on stage; it also marks the official selection of the next leadership and the change of cohorts. Throughout all of its activities, Sweet Sensation strictly forbids violence, forced drinking and any other abuse, and faithfully serves as a model student organization built on a harmonious community.

Sinbaram & Aengmaegi, the pungmul union of electronic engineering, system semiconductor engineering, semiconductor engineering and software convergence students, is a cultural society where students from several departments come together to learn and enjoy Korean traditional music and pungmul culture. Playing pungmul instruments such as janggu, kkwaenggwari, buk and jing, members learn to breathe as one, building cooperation and a sense of community.

As a member of the Cheongnyeon Sogang pungmul union, we learn and carry on Imsil Pilbong Nongak, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 11-5, centered on Pilbong-gut—the village rite of Pilbong Village in Imsil, Jeollabuk-do, handed down systematically since the 1970s. We also learn and perform samulnori and pungmul rhythms from regions such as Honam, Yeongnam and Utdari, helping to keep Korea’s traditional farmers’ music alive.

During the semester we practice regularly to improve our basic rhythms and ensemble playing, and perform at campus and freshman welcome events, adding energy to campus life. In the summer and winter vacations we attend jeonsu (training camps) for more specialized pungmul education and a deeper understanding of traditional farmers’ music.

Students new to pungmul can join without pressure: seniors teach the basic rhythms and how to play each instrument, helping newcomers settle in naturally. Members broaden their understanding of traditional culture while relieving the stress of study and making friends. Sinbaram & Aengmaegi will continue as a cultural community where engineering students enjoy and carry on traditional culture together, sharing pungmul through campus events and exchanges.

SU:IZ is the cultural society of the Department of Electronic Engineering: a band formed for the music-related cultural life and unity of Sogang’s electronic engineering students. It existed from the early 2000s, but its tradition was broken for a while; today’s SU:IZ was revived in 2022.

Our activities fall into two parts: rehearsals and performances. Rehearsals prepare for performances—once the songs are chosen, we rent a rehearsal room for two to three hours a week to put them together, and close to a performance we sometimes rehearse nearly eight hours a week.

Performances take place about every two to three months, usually with around four bands from Sogang and other universities. Regular performances include Sogang’s off-campus orientation (OR) and the SU:IZ regular concert, which is sometimes replaced by a joint concert with other bands in which SU:IZ plays a larger part. We also recruit new members at the start of each spring semester and hold a welcome party and a membership trip (MT).

Recent performances

• Sogang University freshman orientation performances, 2025 and 2026
• Joint concerts with the band of Korea University’s School of Electrical Engineering and with Sogang bands including INFINITY, The 1303, Bluenote, Sweet Sensation and Audio Interface

We have performed with department and college bands and central clubs at Sogang, and with bands from other universities.