Best assignment yet

By Hankookilbo – Published Apr 13, 2026 Hankook Ilbo, Korea

Visitors crowd the Yeongnangho Cherry Blossom Festival around Yeongnangho Lake in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, April 11. Yonhap

{Ken Gray – As a child growing up in Victoria on Harlow Drive my street was drenched in pink cherry blossoms every March of April. I have fond memories of playing in the petals. It seems I am not alone.}

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Why Korean engineering professor assigned his students to photograph cherry blossoms

“Take and submit pictures of cherry blossoms.”

An engineering professor drew attention on social media after giving his students that unusual assignment. Later, he explained why he had been giving out the assignment seemingly unrelated to his field for six straight years.

“My heart ached seeing young students so weighed down by worries about the future,” he said.

According to posts on social media, the assignment was given by Kang Dong-woo, a professor in the department of engineering chemistry at Chungbuk National University, to students taking his Engineering Mathematics course this semester.

“Visit cherry blossom spots in Cheongju or other areas where you live during the April blooming season, take photos and submit them,” the notice said.

It also explained the purpose of the assignment: to nourish the souls of engineering students worn down emotionally, while adding, “Shouldn’t we take at least one day off from studying and enjoy the warmth of spring for once?”

The notice then gave one strict instruction: students were not allowed to visit cherry blossom spots on campus or near their homes, but were instead told to go to well-known and popular viewing destinations.

A first-semester Engineering Mathematics assignment notice issued March 25 by Kang Dong-woo, a professor in the department of engineering chemistry at Chungbuk National University / Instagram capture

As the assignment notice spread across social media, it quickly drew attention, collecting 20,000 likes on Instagram.

Commenters applauded the professor’s sincerity and thoughtfulness, while others said young people deserved more generosity from the world. Some were reminded of mentors who had once given them similar assignments.

Kang later stepped forward after drawing public attention.

“I’m the one who gave the assignment,” he wrote on Instagram on April 3.

“My heart ached seeing young students worn down by job anxiety, the pressure to build their résumés and the broader uncertainty surrounding their future. They looked so different from the lively and upbeat students they used to be, and that is why I came up with the assignment,” he wrote.

In a separate interview with Yonhap, Kang said he had been giving out the same assignment every year since 2021, and that every student so far had gone out and submitted photos.

“It does not have to be limited to college students. I hope everyone can enjoy spring, whether on their way to work or while out for a walk, and fill their days with happy memories,” he wrote on social media.

He also thanked people for the attention, adding that he would use it as motivation to become a better educator who both cares for his students and teaches them well.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

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