[7] Such is the importance of the match-ups to school spirit and student life that it garners extensive media coverage in the days leading up the games.
[8][9][10][11] A JoongAng Ilbo article in 1969 compared its historical significance to domestic student sport to that of The Boat Race contested by Oxford and Cambridge universities in the UK and Harvard and Yale's American football rivalry.
[16] The Joseon Athletic Association was forcibly shut down by the Japanese Imperialist government and match-ups between the two institutions became the main focus of domestic sports and occasionally an outlet of nationalistic fervor for ethnic Koreans in both Korea and Japan who were otherwise forbidden to speak their own language or maintain their distinct cultural identity.
[13] The two institutions regularly play against one another in the U-League in football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey and the rivalry translates to those games.
The "friendship games" for all five sports is organized separately each fall semester (September or October) and held over two days, weather conditions permitting.
The shopkeepers nearby the campuses witnessed the events and sympathized with the cause, thus served food and drinks free of charge to the students.
The practice has drawn criticism, from both the community and students themselves from both universities, as being "outdated" due to inflation since the 2000s and the economic burden placed on shopkeepers and business owners in the vicinity.
[24] Criticism has been directed towards the duopoly of the two universities due to the perception that athletes, especially in domestic football, rely on their alma mater's reputation rather than skills to gain a spot in the national team or the institutions having an upper hand in recruiting the country's best talent.
[25] Notable alumni include former national team managers Cha Bum-kun, Huh Jung-moo, Cho Kwang-rae and Hong Myung-bo.
Prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Korea Football Association (KFA) was dogged by accusations of selecting coaches and players of the national team based on hak-yeon (학연) – the Korean language equivalent term of "old boy network" – instead of performances during the season or individual merit.
The likes of 2002 World Cup participants such as former national team captain Ahn Jung-hwan, defender Lee Young-pyo and midfielder Park Ji-sung, all of whom are alumni of other universities, finding success overseas prompted observers and fans to question the KFA's selection policy.
[26][27] The 1990's were often dubbed a "golden era" of domestic college basketball with the Korea-Yonsei rivalry at its peak and both teams boasted legends such as Lee Sang-min, Moon Kyung-eun, Woo Ji-won and Seo Jang-hoon (Yonsei University) and Hyun Joo-yup, Chun Hee-chul and Shin Ki-sung (Korea University), among others.
Four-time gold medalist short track speed skater Chun Lee-Kyung and gymnast Son Yeon-jae are graduates of Yonsei University.