Hyundai Department Store Group Partners with Seoul National University to Cultivate Retail Talent: "Industry-Academia Cooperation Model"

MOU Signed for Launch of "Retail Interdisciplinary Major" at Seoul National University
Participation from 9 Affiliates in Distribution, Fashion, Food, and Living Sectors
Fostering Innovative, Practice-Oriented Talent Expected

Hyundai Department Store Group is partnering with Seoul National University to nurture professional talent in the retail sector.

Jang Hojin, President of Hyundai Gf Holdings (right), and Yoo Hongrim, President of Seoul National University, are posing for a commemorative photo at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of the Retail Convergence Major between Hyundai Department Store Group and Seoul National University held at Seoul National University on the 20th. Provided by Hyundai Department Store Group. Posing for a commemorative photo.

On the 20th, Hyundai Department Store Group announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Seoul National University at the university's main building for "collaborative work to develop the Retail Interdisciplinary Major." The core of this agreement is Hyundai Department Store Group's participation in the Retail Interdisciplinary Major program, which Seoul National University will launch in the first semester of next year, providing students with practical experience and opportunities.

Seoul National University's interdisciplinary major system is a convergence education program jointly operated by two or more departments. Currently, there are 12 interdisciplinary majors, including Financial Mathematics (Department of Mathematical Sciences, Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, etc.) and Humanities Data Science (Department of Korean Language and Literature, Department of Communication, Department of Statistics, etc.). Any student in their sophomore year or above can choose this regardless of their primary major. To graduate, students must complete a total of 130 credits, including 48 credits for their primary major and 21 credits for the interdisciplinary major.

The newly established Retail Interdisciplinary Major is characterized by combining the expertise of related departments-such as the Department of Clothing and Textiles, Department of Consumer Science, Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Business Administration, Department of Economics, and Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics-with Hyundai Department Store Group’s on-site distribution knowledge and practical capabilities, maximizing the educational effect. Hyundai Department Store Group, with its business portfolio spanning distribution, fashion, living, and food, has been highly regarded as a convergence education partner.

Hyundai Department Store Group Headquarters. Provided by Hyundai Department Store

The curriculum will be led by six departments at Seoul National University closely related to daily life-Department of Clothing and Textiles, Department of Consumer Science, Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Business Administration, Department of Economics, and Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Ten professors will newly establish and operate courses for the Retail Interdisciplinary Major. From Hyundai Department Store Group, a total of nine affiliates in distribution (department store, home shopping, duty-free), fashion (Hands Corporation), food (Green Food, Bioland), and living (Livart, L&C, Zinus) will participate to further advance the curriculum.

In addition, Hyundai Department Store Group will leverage the expertise of each affiliate to provide special lectures on market conditions and future trends, and plans to operate short-term internships linked to academic credits. The group will also support mentoring, where employees from each affiliate work with students on real-world, hands-on projects closely related to actual work, as well as scholarships for outstanding students.

Jang Hojin, President of Hyundai Gf Holdings, stated, "The Retail Interdisciplinary Major in collaboration with Seoul National University is a new model of cooperation where academia and industry prepare for the future together. We are pursuing this partnership with the belief that investment in talent development is the foundation for industrial innovation," adding, "As a comprehensive lifestyle and culture company, we will continue to organically collaborate with various educational fields based on our differentiated capabilities and accumulated experience, thereby enhancing the social value of our company."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.