Yongin, SK hynix Team Up to Open Humanities Space at Historic Confucian Academy

YONGIN — A humanities and cultural space for residents will open at Simgok Seowon, a historic Confucian academy in Sanghyeon-dong, Suji-gu, Yongin.

Yongin City said it signed an agreement on the 14th with SK hynix (000660.KS) and the Jigwan Foundation to build and operate the Jigwan Seoga space in Yongin. The signing took place at a reception room in city hall.

The agreement covers plans to set up Jigwan Seoga inside a history education center now under construction at Simgok Seowon. The three parties agreed to work together to support residents' mental well-being through books and the humanities, and to broaden the base of humanities culture in the region.

Jigwan Seoga is a combined humanities and cultural space operated as a social contribution project by SK Group. It is designed to give visitors a place to reflect on themselves and consider the direction of their lives through reading, humanities lectures and discussions.

Eleven such spaces are currently in operation nationwide, and the Yongin site will be the 12th. It also marks the first time SK hynix has taken part in the project.

Attending the signing ceremony were Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il, SK hynix Brand Strategy Vice President Han Hye-seung and Choi Sun-jae, a director at the Jigwan Foundation.

Under the agreement, Yongin City will provide the space inside the history education center at Simgok Seowon and take charge of facility management and operations going forward. SK hynix will fund the construction of the space. The Jigwan Foundation will handle planning as well as programs such as humanities lectures and book discussions.

Design work on the Yongin site is scheduled to be completed by November this year, with construction running from December through February next year. The space is set to open in May next year along with the history education center at Simgok Seowon.

"I am grateful to SK hynix and the Jigwan Foundation for helping create a meaningful humanities and cultural space in Yongin," Lee said. "Once Jigwan Seoga opens, residents as well as teenagers and young adults will be able to keep books and the humanities close at hand, nurture their dreams and broaden their thinking."

Lee also said Yongin is a leading city for reading, with an adult reading rate of 54.2%, far above the national figure of 38.5%. "We also have 10 libraries ranked among the top 100 nationwide for book lending, so I expect strong interest from residents," he said.

Simgok Seowon was built to honor the scholarship and virtue of Jo Gwang-jo, a Confucian scholar and reformist politician of the mid-Joseon period. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2015.