Hyungji Elite's 'Love for the Nation Camp' Marks 21 Years of Fostering Historical and Territorial Awareness Among Youth

Visiting Historic Sites such as Dokdo and Utoro Village in Japan
Sustaining the Program for 21 Years

Hyoungji Elite is recruiting participants for the 21-year-old Patriotism Camp. The photo shows participants of the first Patriotism Camp held in 2005 on Dokdo.

Hyungji Elite (CEO Choi Junho) announced that it is recruiting participants for the "2026 Elite Love for the Nation Camp" to be held in Incheon this fall, with the aim of inspiring patriotic spirit and fostering a sense of history among youth.

The "Elite Love for the Nation Camp" is a flagship social contribution program established by Hyungji Elite, the operator of South Korea's oldest school uniform brand, aimed at instilling a sound historical perspective and patriotism in children and teenagers. The camp is financed through a mutual growth fund accumulated each time a school uniform is sold at Elite outlets across the country, and has now continued for 21 years. In particular, the program has prioritized the selection of disadvantaged youth who have relatively fewer opportunities to participate in cultural and historical experiences, thus ensuring a substantial and meaningful program.

This year, the camp will take place in Incheon to commemorate the 100th anniversary of "Hunmaengjeongeum," the Korean braille system. Hunmaengjeongeum was announced in 1926 by Songam Park Duseong, often called the "King Sejong of the Visually Impaired," and is recognized as a cultural heritage that enabled visually impaired people to read, write, and communicate independently in Korean. In recognition of Park Duseong’s dedication to the right to education and accessible communication for the visually impaired, Hyungji Elite has selected Incheon—home to both the Songam Braille Library and the Songam Park Duseong Memorial Hall—as the site for this year’s camp. The company has also chosen October 9, observed as Hangeul Day in Korea, as the event date to underscore the importance of the Korean alphabet and the value of loving one's neighbors in the very city where its headquarters are located.

Since beginning with the "Dokdo Camp" in 2005, Hyungji Elite has consistently organized camps at locations marking special anniversaries or historical milestones, and has worked to foster patriotism even outside the national territory by visiting historic sites of the Korean diaspora. For instance, in 2008, Hyungji Elite visited Utoro in Japan—a village marked by the pain of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period—to comfort Korean-Japanese residents. In 2012, the 20th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations, participants explored historical Goguryeo sites in Northeast China. In 2019, marking the centenary of the March 1st Movement and the establishment of the Korean Provisional Government, the program sent a group of 33 youth representatives, symbolizing the 33 national leaders, to visit the Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall and Seodaemun Prison, providing timely and in-depth historical education activities.

In 2010, the centenary year of National Humiliation Day, the company visited Geumgang School in Osaka, Japan, building meaningful relationships with local Korean youth. These valuable ties have continued to the present, culminating this year in Hyungji Elite signing an official school uniform supply contract with Osaka Geumgang International School (formerly Geumgang School of Osaka). The fact that this ethnically affiliated school—met at a historic site 16 years ago—will now be dressed in uniforms from Korea’s oldest school uniform brand further highlights the company’s genuine dedication to loving the nation.

This year’s camp participants will have the opportunity to naturally learn the value of Korea’s cultural heritage and the meaning of patriotism through historical education and experiential activities.

A Hyungji Elite official stated, "As the oldest school uniform brand in Korea, it is an important corporate responsibility to help the next generation foster the proper historical consciousness," and added, "We hope this year’s Incheon Love for the Nation Camp—which is planned around the 100th anniversary of Korean braille—will receive strong attention and participation from youth and their parents."

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