CORTIS Turns First Anniversary Into a School Trip Through Baekje History

CORTIS marked its first debut anniversary by trading the stage for the classroom heading to one of South Korea’s historic sites for a special school trip.

On August 18, exactly one year after their debut, CORTIS released the first episode of their new variety content “2026 1st Anniversary School Trip Guide” through the group’s official YouTube channel.

For the anniversary series, members Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho traveled to Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province, a destination known for its connections to the ancient Baekje Kingdom. Rather than filling the trip with the usual games and missions associated with idol variety content, the episode centered on exploring historic sites and putting the members’ newly acquired knowledge to the test.

Furthermore, the five visited the Baekje Cultural Land, where they explored exhibitions and reconstructed palace grounds while learning about Baekje history and architecture. While it was an educational trip, there was still a lot of room left for the members to have some fun.

Despite the summer heat, CORTIS rode electric bicycles around the complex and participated in an interactive coloring experience featuring Baekje-inspired characters displayed through large-scale media art.

Adding a variety-show element to the trip, each member was also assigned a fictional school role. Martin became part of the disciplinary committee, James joined the dance club, Juhoon served as the photography club member, Seonghyeon took on the role of class president and Keonho became class treasurer.

The members committed to their positions throughout the episode, with Martin rounding up the others when they became distracted and Juhoon regularly documenting the trip with his camera. A preview for the second episode teased even more playful moments, including the members breaking into dance to a children’s song.

The school trip is one of several pieces of content CORTIS released to celebrate its first anniversary. The group also shared a surprise “before debut” video on August 18 featuring footage of the members prior to their official launch, from Martin and Seonghyeon singing in the practice room to James working on choreography, Juhoon speaking about his determination to debut and Keonho on the set of the self-produced “GO!” music video.

The celebrations come shortly after CORTIS wrapped their sold-out North American leg of its first tour with a final San Francisco show on August 16.

CORTIS will continue its anniversary celebrations in Seoul on August 22 and 23 with the “2026 CORTIS TOUR <PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN> BIRTHDAY PARTY” at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium.