Janet Yellen, Nobel Winner Philippe Aghion set for ‘Great Minds’ Season 6

Public broadcaster EBS is bringing back its star-studded educational series “Great Minds” for a sixth season, with a lineup that includes former United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Nobel Prize-winning economist Philippe Aghion and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Launched in 2021, “Great Minds” features roughly 20-minute lectures from leading scholars, thinkers and figures across politics, economics, science, the humanities and other fields. Through its first five seasons, the series has featured 805 lectures by 152 scholars.

Season 6 will be the show’s largest yet, bringing together 50 scholars and prominent figures from Korea and abroad. The lineup includes Yellen, who served as US Treasury secretary from 2021 to 2025 and previously chaired the Federal Reserve, as well as Aghion, who received the 2025 Nobel Prize in economics.

The season will also feature prominent figures from the business world, including SK Group and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won, who will share insights drawn from his experience at the forefront of the country's business community.

Producer Han Song-hee said in a press release Tuesday that the new season will explore some of the defining issues of the moment, from advances in artificial intelligence and science and technology to growing uncertainty in politics and the global economy.

“Rather than focusing on a single answer, we designed the program to allow viewers to ask questions and make their own judgments through a variety of fields and perspectives,” Han said.

Season 6 will also mark the first time the series has featured Korean scholars, expanding its roster beyond its traditional focus on international voices. Among them are Kim Young-kee, a University of Chicago professor and leading particle physicist, and Kim Kyung-hee, a William & Mary professor of educational psychology who will examine creativity in the age of AI.

Season 6 of “Great Minds” will premiere on EBS on Oct. 12. Episodes will also be available to stream for free on the websites of K-MOOC and EBS. K-MOOC is a government-run online learning platform offering free educational content to the public.