Talks, performances, exhibitions and hands-on programs run Friday through Sunday
![A poster for the 2026 Humanities Culture Festival. [Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/11/06/news-p.v1.20261106.521c9ee328274a0db25fdb3d8d4e3e5a_P1.png)
A festival exploring the concept of "humanistic intelligence" in the age of AI opens this weekend.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts and Culture Education Service will hold the 2026 Humanities Culture Festival at Layer Studio 11 in Mapo-gu, Seoul, from Friday through Sunday.
This year's theme is "humanistic intelligence" — defined as the capacity to reflect on oneself, understand others and independently choose one's direction in life.
The festival is organized around three sub-themes: "sovereignty of thought," covering reasoning and judgment (humanities dialogue); "uniqueness of experience," awakening the senses and lived experience (exhibition and hands-on activities); and "rediscovery of relationships," fostering understanding and empathy (exchange programs).
On Friday, a policy forum will gather public voices ahead of the drafting of the Third Basic Plan for the Humanities. Before the forum, former professional Go player Lee Se-dol — who faced AI program AlphaGo — and producer Choi Seong-un will hold a conversation titled "The Move AI Cannot Make," exploring the power of independent judgment and choice in the AI era.
On Saturday, writer Kim Gyeo-ul, film director Kim Cho-hee and content creator Lee Chung-nyeong will discuss self-understanding and life choices under the theme "My Own Pace, Without Comparison." Webtoon artist Lee Jong-beom, astronomer Shim Chae-gyeong and editor and literary critic Park Hye-jin will then examine the meaning of work and life through a humanities lens under the theme "Is There Humanities in Your Work, Too?"
On Sunday, singer Neoksal, content creator Im Seung-won and content planner Yoo Gyu-seon will reflect on human relationships and the meaning of documentation under the theme "Excitement Cannot Be Edited."
An evening program called "Night of the Humanities" will blend the results of humanities projects with poetry, music and reflection. On Friday evening, poet Hwang In-chan and singer Yang Hee-eun will present a talk concert titled "Poetry That Became a Song" as part of a segment called "Patterns of Life." A showcase presenting outcomes from the "Humanities for All" initiative and regional humanities practice programs will also take place.
On Saturday, singer Sunwoo Jung-a and architect Cho Byeong-su will share their thoughts on the meaning of contemplation in a segment called "Time for Reflection," co-produced with EBS.
The festival will also feature a thematic exhibition encompassing the festival's concept and humanities projects, along with exchange programs for participants, administrators, instructors and experts — including "Humanities Gathering," "Humanities Exploration" and "Humanities Happiness Truck."
Jung Hyang-mi, director general of the Culture and Arts Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said she hopes the festival will give each citizen a chance to discover their own "humanistic intelligence" and make the humanities a source of strength in everyday life. She added that the ministry has set next year's government budget for the humanities sector at 25.9 billion won ($19.3 million), an 11.9 percent increase, and plans to work toward spreading the value of the humanities into people's daily lives in the AI era.
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