The KT&G Scholarship Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the 'KT&G Scholarship Foundation Cultural Arts Scholarship Program' to discover and nurture outstanding talents in the field of ballet. The agreement was made on the 15th at KT&G Sangsang Planet with the participation of the Korea Mecenat Association, Ballet STP Cooperative, and Gangdong Cultural Foundation.

Under this agreement, each institution has agreed to collaborate in operating the 'Ballet Master Class', which offers professional coaching and performance opportunities by current ballet dancers and choreographers to talents in the ballet field. The KT&G Scholarship Foundation will fully support the operation costs of 130 million won for the program, while the Korea Mecenat Association and Ballet STP Cooperative will manage the program operations, and the Gangdong Cultural Foundation will provide the practice and performance spaces.

Since 2016, the KT&G Scholarship Foundation has been operating scholarship programs in the field of culture and arts. The Foundation has supported scholarships of 5 million won per person annually to students in the fields of ballet, music, and other cultural arts. Up to last year, a total of 236 individuals have been awarded scholarships and educational program support funds amounting to over 1.4 billion won. This year, the Foundation plans to support approximately 40 scholarship students with a total of over 200 million won.

Among the scholars supported by the KT&G Scholarship Foundation are pianist Lim Yunchan, who became the youngest ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and Jeon Ji-yul, who was admitted to the Royal Ballet School in Monaco and is currently studying abroad. In recognition of its efforts in nurturing artistic talent, the KT&G Scholarship Foundation was awarded the Cultural Contribution Prize at the 2021 Korea Mecenat Awards.

Ahn Hong-pil, Secretary-General of the KT&G Scholarship Foundation, stated, "We will not spare continuous attention and support to ensure that our scholars not only discover and grow their talents but also exert a positive influence in society as they enter the professional world."

Founded in 2008, the KT&G Scholarship Foundation has been conducting various scholarship programs domestically and internationally to support educationally underprivileged groups and nurture future talents. In addition, the foundation has been supporting scholarships for students in the field of culture and arts annually in collaboration with the Korea Mecenat Association, contributing to the discovery of young artists. Since its establishment, the total amount of scholarships provided by the foundation until the end of last year has reached 43.5 billion KRW, with the cumulative number of scholarship recipients surpassing 10,000.

(Photo Description) Participants at the KT&G Scholarship Foundation Cultural and Arts Scholarship Program MOU signing ceremony taking a commemorative photo (from left: Sim Woo-sub, Representative of Gangdong Cultural Foundation, Kim In-hee, Chairman of Ballet STP Cooperative, Ahn Hong-pil, Secretary-General of the KT&G Scholarship Foundation, Lee Chung-kwan, Secretary-General of Korea Mecenat Association).