Dongguk University WISE Campus kicks off 21st Humanities Week in Gyeongju

The 21st Humanities Week, organized by the Humanities City Project Group at Dongguk University's WISE Campus, has opened.

Running under the slogan "Humanities in the AI Era: The Art of Questioning," the event continues through Sunday and features a range of programs exploring Gyeongju's historical and cultural assets alongside residents.

The opening ceremony, held Monday, took the form of a "Seonmudo Humanities Concert" rooted in the spirit of Seonmudo — a martial and meditative practice associated with Golgulsa Temple in Gyeongju.

Jeokun, the head monk of Golgulsa, delivered a lecture on the aesthetics of Seonmudo, exploring the meaning of cultivating body and mind together and the humanistic wisdom it offers for contemporary society.

The ceremony also featured a Seonmudo demonstration, hands-on sessions in Seon yoga and qigong, and a musical performance combining gayageum, haegeum and drum.

The event is part of the project group's "Gyeongju: Empathy Culture and Mutual Prosperity Platform City" project.

The project group has been running programs that help residents learn about, document and experience Gyeongju's historical and cultural assets, and plans to share the results of that work during this year's Humanities Week.

On Tuesday, the WISE Campus library hosted Monk Yeongsong Unam of Girimsa Temple for a Silla tea tasting and a lecture on the cross-cultural significance of Kim Gyo-gak, the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha revered in the Silla kingdom.

On Thursday, a Donghak civic academic forum will be held in a seminar room on the fifth floor of the Centennial Memorial Hall, centered on the theme of "Rooting the Spirit of Donghak in Everyday Life."

Participants will share the learning and discussion built through the "Donghak Colloquium" and explore ways to put the Donghak spirit into practice in daily life and local communities.

Alongside this, the program lineup includes a Gyeongju photo-essay workshop in which participants visit historical and cultural sites around the city and write with local authors, an outreach humanities lecture series for youth, and experiential programs such as a humanities healing session at Bunhwangsa Temple, a modern history walk along Gyeongju's old town walls, and a Donghak humanities stroll.

On the final day of Humanities Week, a closing ceremony called "Choe Buja-daek Gongam Madang" will bring the event to a close.

Participants will practice calligraphy by writing the Six Precepts of the Choe Buja family and their own household mottos, reflecting on the wisdom of their ancestors and the values a community should uphold together.

Dongguk University WISE Campus President Ryu Wan-ha said "the more we advance into the AI era, the more important human thinking and humanistic wisdom become," adding that he hopes Humanities Week will serve as an opportunity to reflect on life and chart a path toward the future, grounded in Gyeongju's humanistic spirit.