Building Humanities Knowledge and Exploring Greece... Shinsegae Group's "Jisik Hyangyeon" for University Students

12th Year of Humanities Social Contribution Program
Theme: "The Grand Tour for Cultivating Culture and Intellect through Travel"
780 Students Invited to "Humanities Festival" on May 8-9
30 Contest Winners to Explore Greece for Ten Days in August

Shinsegae Group announced on April 27 that its humanities social contribution program, "Jisik Hyangyeon," will continue its meaningful journey with young people this year under the theme of the "Grand Tour."

Now in its 12th year, Jisik Hyangyeon is a humanities promotion program for university students. It has expanded the social role of the humanities by spreading knowledge and wisdom about humanity and culture.

Since 2014, a total of 268 humanities talents have been nurtured through this program, and through the "Humanities Book Translation" project, it has consistently introduced high-quality humanities books that had not previously been available in Korea.

This year's theme for Jisik Hyangyeon is "A Journey to Gain Insight for the Future: The Grand Tour." The Grand Tour was a travel-based learning method popular among young intellectuals in Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries. It involved traveling directly to various cities and centers of civilization to gain culture and intellect through firsthand experience.

This year's Jisik Hyangyeon reinterprets the Grand Tour in a modern context, focusing on fostering a deep understanding of classical civilizations and expanding perspectives toward the future. The event will begin with a "Humanities Festival" held on May 8 and 9 at Shinsegae Namsan Trinity Hall in Seoul. Around 780 university students from across the country will be invited to participate in lectures and performances centered on the Grand Tour, providing an opportunity to stimulate their humanities sensibility and imagination.

In June, a humanities contest will be held in an open format, accepting entries such as videos, proposals, and creative works. The selection process will focus on evaluating creative thinking and expressive abilities, and after interviews, a final group of 30 participants will be chosen. These selected humanities talents will embark on the Grand Tour from August 18 to 27, visiting sites of Greek civilization such as Athens, Olympia, Zakynthos, and Delphi.

Any currently enrolled university student is eligible to apply, and the 30 finalists will each receive a scholarship of 1 million won for the fall semester. Further details can be found on the official Jisik Hyangyeon website and Facebook page.