Pernod Ricard Korea, the Korean affiliate of the Pernod Ricard Group, donated KRW 100 million in scholarships to 54 students of National Gugak Schools to develop the Gugak (traditional Korean music) culture and to foster Gugak talents.
Minju Ji, HR & Corporate Affairs Director of Pernod Ricard Korea, cheered and gave encouragement to those who will inherit and develop Gugak culture while delivering the scholarships at the graduation ceremony of National Gugak Schools held on February 7.
The “Pernod Ricard Korea Gugak Scholarship Program”, launched in 2002, is part of the company’s social contribution activities to sponsor the arts, inheriting its founder Paul Ricard’s philosophy that "Art is in our DNA." Through the program, Pernod Ricard Korea is striving to develop and popularize traditional culture and Gugak. To date, the company has offered scholarships to 749 Gugak talents, totaling approximately KRW 2.7 billion.
In recognition of its sustained sponsorship for traditional Korean culture and arts for 22 years, Pernod Ricard Korea received a certificate of appreciation from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2010. Since 2020, Pernod Ricard Korea has been certified as an 'Excellent Organization for Culture and Arts Sponsorship' by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Council of Korea and has maintained this status.
“I’m pleased that recipients of our Gugak Scholarship program are now actively performing at leading Gugak institutions, such as the National Gugak Center and National Orchestra of Korea,” said Director Minju. “We hope you not to lose pride as Gugak musicians and to bring the charm and convivial moment of Korean culture and arts to more people through Gugak.”
Meanwhile, Pernod Ricard Korea has been supporting funding and in-kind donations to the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), an organization that promotes Korean culture around the world, since 2023 and has sponsored various events hosted by the CICI as the main sponsor. Starting with the sponsorship of ‘CICI Korea 2024’, which was held on January 10, Pernod Ricard Korea plans to support various cultural communication activities based on the Pernod Ricard Group's spirit of diversity and inclusion to promote a positive image of Korea to the world.