You can’t go to Hogwarts, but don’t worry. The Popping Post has found the next best alternative – the Korean National Police University (KNPU). Enrolling at KNPU is almost like studying at Hogwarts, if you don’t mind not learning how to cast spells. However, you will learn how to become the real-life equivalent of an Auror (a magical police officer).
KNPU has so many similarities to Hogwarts that it would almost sound like it was inspired by Harry Potter, had it not been founded in 1946 rather than 990 AD. Here are six reasons why studying at KNPU is just like being a Hogwarts student.
1. They both have eagles as part of their coat of arms.
KNPU logo. Photo credit: 경찰대학 폴라리스 페이지 Facebook page
Hogwarts crest. Image credit:
Official Facebook page of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Compare both school crests above. KNPU uses an eagle as part of their eagle, as does Hogwarts. In both cases, the eagles are gold. For KNPU, the logo represents the eagle spreading its wings to protect the land, while for Hogwarts, the eagle symbolizes Ravenclaw, one of the four houses.
Interesting that both eagles have the same color…
2. They have magical sounding school trees
A Zelkova tree in Korea. Photo credit: 안창환 Facebook profile
Hogwarts and the Whomping Willow. Harry Potter More Facebook Page
The official school tree of KNPU is the Zelkova, which sounds like it could be a fictional, magical tree from Harry Potter. However, it is a real tree species belonging to the elm family Ulmaceae, which also sounds like it could be a magical plant.
Hogwarts doesn’t have an official school tree, but it does have the Whomping Willow, a giant tree that will stun you with its branches. Ironically, the KNPU’s school tree sounds more magical than Hogwarts’.
3. They award prizes at the end of the year
Usually, Dumbledore awards the prizes at Hogwarts. Source: Fatos Desconhecidos Facebook page
Every year, KNPU awards prizes to professors, students and staff. Depending on the translation, these are called the Chung-ram Prize or Chung-ram Award and are a very prestigious prize.
Similarly, at Hogwarts, the house with the most points at the end of the year wins. Remember that teachers award or deduct points to the houses depending on the students’ actions, with Harry Potter and his friends being the main source (and loss) of points for Gryffindor.
4. Both have student dormitories
A KNPU lesson in Midnight Runners. Photo credit: Golden Village Cinemas
KNPU students live in dormitories, with four buildings for male students and one building for female students.
Hogwarts students also live in dormitories in the towers of their respective houses. Boys and girls are separated and spells are placed to prevent members of the opposite sex from entering a particular dormitory. This is also a good idea since the Hogwarts students are mostly teenagers and are probably full of raging hormones (remember how emo Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?).
5. Both host welcoming events for new students
New KNPU students in Midnight Runners. Photo credit: Golden Village Cinemas
KNPU hosts a welcoming ceremony and concert for new students. Yes, a real music concert! It is performed by the Police Symphony Orchestra. Not every university hosts such a spectacular welcome for its freshmen.
Hogwarts has its typical festivals and a selection ceremony where the magical Sorting Hat determines the houses of all new students, generally based on their personality. For most students, this is associated with fear, as the house they go to is an indication of a student’s character.
6. Both have good relations with their French colleagues
Students of Beauxbatons, the French school of wizardry in Harry Potter. Photo credit: Beauxbatons Facebook page
The KNPU offers its students international exchange programs that allow them to study at police institutions in other countries. Its students were sent to police academies in France, as well as in West Germany and Spain in 1984.
In the Harry Potter universe, the French magic school is the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. We don’t see much of Dumbledore’s interactions with the headmistress of Beauxbatons, Olympe Maxime, but their relationship was so good that Maxime was sent by Dumbledore as an emissary to the giants (she herself is half-giant).
Midnight Runners. Photo credit: Golden Village Cinemas
Do you want to enroll at KNPU now? Don’t worry – you might want to see what life is like at the school before you make your decision. Midnight Runners! In the Korean comedy, two clumsy KNPU students stumble upon perhaps the biggest crime they have ever witnessed in their lives. But when no one seems to be there to help, Park Ki-joon (Park Seo-joon) and Kang Hee-yeol (Kang Ha-neul) take on this extra “CCA” and try to solve the case themselves!
Will they succeed? Or will the Midnight Runners get caught? Find out for yourself in this exciting comedy!
You may also want to try:
Kang Ha-neul a perfect gentleman at the Midnight Runners press conference
Credits: Facebook page “경찰대학 폴라리스 페이지”, Facebook page “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry” (official), Facebook profile “안창환”, Facebook page “Harry Potter More”, Facebook page “Fatos Desconhecidos”, Facebook page “Beauxbatons”, Golden Village Cinemas
The post “Why the Korean National Police University is like a real Hogwarts” first appeared on The Popping Post.
