Global premium liquor company Pernod Ricard has donated a total of 2 billion won ($1.75 million) over the past 15 years to support students of gugak, or traditional Korean music.

According to the company, these donations were in line with Pernod Ricard’s philosophy of helping to preserve the cultures and traditions of the countries in which it does business, and to share corporate profits with those communities.

The latest donation from the company came as 36 scholarships to students at the National Gugak Middle and High School on Feb. 7.

Past recipients of the Pernod Ricard Gugak Scholarship have gone onto join prestigious institutions such as the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.

In addition to its support for gugak, Pernod Ricard Korea has also signed agreements to further research for the preservation of marine environments, a passion of company founder Paul Ricard.

The Institut Oceanographique Paul Ricard, a research institution that works to protect the Mediterranean Sea against pollution, signed an agreement with Korea Maritime and Ocean University in Busan to facilitate scientific research exchanges and collaborate in research projects.

The agreement was part of the IOPR’s Take OFF (Take Ocean for Future) campaign, which aims to train young scientists and increase academic exchanges in marine research around the world.

Pernod Ricard’s whisky brand Imperial helped to further this cause as well, signing an agreement with KMOU to help preserve the oceanfronts in Busan. With support from Imperial, students and faculty from KMOU came together with divers and community volunteers to carry out ocean purification efforts at Gwangan-ri Beach in Busan. 

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)