Yon-Bo Games There are several theories about the beginning of the Yon-Ko Games, or the Yon-Bo Games as they were originally called. However, it is generally accepted that the two universities first clashed in a form of tennis match played with softballs. The first games were scheduled for May 29 but were postponed until the next day due to rain. Hosted by the Joseon Sports Association and sponsored by the Dong-A Ilbo, the Korean Softball Tennis Competition was held on the Gyeongseong Ilbo Court. The Dong-A Ilbo reported on the first meeting of the two universities as follows: “The two heroes of the Gyeongseong [capital of Joseon] college scene, Yonhi College [predecessor of Yonsei University] and Bosung College [predecessor of Korea University], both performed superbly at the court. Although Bosung left the game as winners, Yonhi’s captain Han Meng-Seok showed his fighting spirit which nearly turned the game over.” (translated from May 31, 1925 issue of Dong-A Ilbo) The two universities met for the second time in 1927, this time on the soccer field. Many view this game as the first of the Yon-Bo Games. According to the “Record of Soccer Games: 1921-1988” in the publication Seventy Years of Yonsei Soccer (Yonsei Soccer OB Association, 1989), Yonhi beat Bosung 2-0 in the finals of the 2nd Joseon College Tournament on February 1, 1927, and continued to win through the year, with scores of 4-1 on April 29 at the semifinals of the 1st Joseon Soccer Tournament and 3-0 on November 2 at the 8th Joseon Sports Association Soccer Tournament. From this time, Yon-Bo Games came to be equated with soccer. The first Yon-Bo basketball game was held on September 17, 1930, at the 2nd Joseon College Basketball Tournament was hosted by the YMCA and sponsored by the Dong-A Ilbo. Yonhi and Bosung were the only participating teams, and the eyes of the entire nation were glued to the game. With its traditionally stronger training in basketball, Yonhi beat Bosung 36-28. (Jo Dong-Pyo, “The Yon-Bo Games: A Light for the Anti-Japanese Movement”, Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation, 1997) The Yonhi College team was the first ice hockey team in Korea, with Dr. Won Han Kyung as manager, Kim Young-Seong as coach, and Kim Yong-Gu as team captain (Dong-A Ilbo, November 18, 1931). The team was first inaugurated in November 1931, but the first Yon-Bo game was to be held much later in January 1940, in which Yonhi led the game to a 9-0 victory (translated from “A Half Century of the Yon-Ko Games”, issue 795 of the Yonsei Chunchu, September 19, 1977). The first Yonhi College baseball team was born in 1922 thanks to the efforts of Dr. Choi Kyu-nam. Dr. Choi (class of 1926, Science), also known as former President of Seoul National University and Minister of Culture and Education, became famous in his position as catcher on the baseball field before he became a well-known scholar in physics. The Yonhi baseball team soon came into its own and gave the people of Joseon (i.e. Korea) the first out-of-the-park homerun they had ever seen during a game with Kyungsung Medical College (the ancestor of Seoul National University Medical School) on June 8, 1928. The highlight of the Yon-Ko Games during the Japanese Occupation was soccer. The two teams were regulars in the Joseon Soccer Tournament in the spring and the Soccer Association Tournament in the fall, resulting in the two tournaments becoming the spring and fall seasons for the Yon-Ko Games. The Yon-Bo Games came to a close towards the end of the Japanese Occupation when the Japanese government banned sports in educational facilities and mandated bayonet drills instead. In 1945, after Korea regained independence, an OB soccer game was held on December 4 and also a basketball game on December 21. The first rugby game was held in January of 1946 and ended in a draw. Throughout this period, the games were held intermittently. In September 1946, after the two colleges had been promoted to university status, President Baek Nak Jun of Yonhi University proclaimed the importance of university sports in the development of national sports, to which Korea University President Hyun Sang Yoon was only too glad to agree. The Beginning of the Annual Yon-Ko Games After many struggles and hardships, the two universities were finally able to reach an official agreement in 1956. The games were held regularly, and the number of events was increased. On October 22-23, 1956, the Yon-Ko Games returned in all their former glory under the name of “Yonsei University vs. Korea University Friendship Sports Games”. Yonhi came out the winner the first year, with scores of 1-1 for soccer, 84-87 for basketball, 3-2 for baseball, 11-3 for rugby, and 4-4 for ice hockey. The competition among the supporters of both teams became just as heated as the competition in the field. Succeeding to the throne of the “Immortal Cheer-team Leader” Kim Jong-Soo (class of 1941, Liberal Arts) was Yonhi’s hitherto unparalleled leader Lee Man-Sup (class of 1957, Political Science and International Studies). After graduation, Mr. Lee worked in the press and subsequently became an influential political figure, serving two terms as National Assembly Speaker, but was better known during his period at Yonsei as the “Hairy Cheer-team Leader” who was voted No. 1 for “Most Interesting Person at Yonhi College”. In 1959, the Yonhi cheer-team introduced the first female cheer-team member in Korea. Korea’s first female “cheer-leader” severely demoralized the other team and amazed the nation. Yonhi was able to take the advantage in this area due to having become co-ed before Korea University. However, as the years passed, the Yonhi cheer-team had troubles of its own. While the Korea University cheer-team brandished a large red flag with a tiger on it, Yonhi did not have such a mascot. However, this was resolved in 1960 when Yonhi’s glorious eagle was first introduced. In 1960, the year of the 4/19 uprising, the Yonhi campus was busy in preparation for the autumn games. Every afternoon, cheer practices were held, including Korea’s first woman cheer-leader. A few days before the games, the student association president, Chae Hee-Cheol came to the Yonsei Chunchu editorial room and asked their opinion regarding a new Yonsei mascot. The staff of the student association was having trouble reaching an agreement and the university has no good suggestions, and so he had come to hear from the Yonsei Chunchu editor. Suddenly, the eagle came to mind. With its sharp beak and fierce claws, keen sense of vision and smell, the eagle dominates the animal kingdom, making it the only bird that the tiger cannot beat. Rather unexpectedly, the SA president accepted by idea and asked the editor to accompany him when he went to have the flag made. The editor thus came to play a part in the momentous event of creating the eagle flag. They both requested that the eagle be drawn dashing down towards its prey with emphasis put on its beak, claws, and eyes. However, this eagle initially raised complaints. The entire campus agreed and demanded that the mascot be changed to a lion. It was a true dilemma. Most importantly, there simply was no time to make a new flag. So it was decided that the eagle flag would be used just this year and the discussion would be reopened next year. However, the situation soon changed. On the day of the Yon-Ko Games, every evening paper included an article reporting on the results of the games with a large picture of the eagle with its menacing glare. The eagle had made its national debut, and it was here to stay.