Cheju Plans Cultural Arts Center

The local government of Cheju Island will build a non-profit cultural arts center by February of next year to preserve the Island's unique artistic heritage. The arts center will serve as the main cultural arts center of Cheju Island by providing grants for local artists and formulating policies to preserve the region's art and culture.

An endowment of 6.2 billion won will be initially established to fund the project with 2 billion won coming from local government coffers in addition to 4.2 billion won from the Literary Art Fund. The endowment is expected to grow to around 30 billion won by 2010.

A total of 14 employees will work at the art center after being transferred from their current jobs at the Cheju Culture Promotion Center.

A research institute will also be set up under the umbrella of the arts center in an attempt to research antiquities and relics, excavation processes and conservation of Cheju's national treasures.

by Yang Sung-Chul