[DiaryPoint Reporter Choi Seung-jin] The 2026 Humanities Culture Festival holds its final day of events on Nov. 8 at Layer Studio 11 in Seoul’s Mapo District. At 2 p.m., singer Nucksal, content creator Lim Seung-won and content planner Yoo Gyu-seon will talk on the theme “Excitement Can’t Be Edited.”
The festival uses “humanities intelligence” to mean the ability to reflect on oneself, understand others and choose one’s own direction in life. With AI increasingly supplying answers, the event invites people to consider how they decide which answers to trust and how to build relationships. This year’s program is organized around thought and judgment, the senses and experience, and empathy and exchange.
At the venue, visitors can see exhibitions documenting humanities initiatives and local activities, an exhibit featuring questions raised through youth humanities projects, and interactive programs centered on memoirs. Outdoor installations include “Everyone’s Memoir,” where visitors can leave a personal record, and the “Humanities Happiness Truck,” which gathers young people’s concerns.
Humanities talks and cultural walks require advance reservations. Check the booking page for remaining seats or admission availability for the day’s talk. “Night of the Humanities” is listed as a program that admits walk-ins on a first-come, first-served basis; no separate information has been provided on whether walk-in registration will be available for the final-day talk.
If you missed the Seoul events, you can explore related programs across the country. Book recommendations and author talks at 10 independent bookstores, along with “Youth Humanities Classroom,” “Humanities on the Road,” “Wisdom School” and “Humanities for All,” will run throughout November at 193 locations nationwide. Locations and application details for each program are available in the nationwide events section of Inmun360.
Jung Hyang-mi, director general for arts and cultural policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “Even in the age of artificial intelligence, people ultimately decide the direction of their lives, and the humanities give them that ability.” The Seoul festival ends Nov. 8, while related programs will continue in communities across the country through the end of the month.