Healthy culture, art

It is a well-known fact that leftist forces dominated the cultural and art circles since the Roh Moo-hyun administration took office. As a result, during the past five years the culture and art field has lost some of its innocence and the capacity to stand on its own.
The other day, the Korea Film Directors’ Society released a statement, showing the damage from this.
The statement said that as movie figures engaged themselves with the powerful Korean Film Council, a huge amount of taxpayer money was channeled to support leftists, instead of supporting the Korean film industry. Freedom to express oneself was used to tear down existing values and perceptions and protection of the screen quota system was used as a cause of the anti-American movement.
In January 2003, Kang Nae-hee, the head of the executive committee of a liberal cultural organization, attended a seminar organized by the Korean People’s Artist Federation on the new administration’s culture policy.
At the seminar, Kang said “In the new administration, members of the Federation of Art and Culture Organization do not have a footing, and liberal forces such as the Korean People’s Artist Federation should be positioned on the frontline and carry out reforms.” His remarks heralded the current situation.
The forum of Korean traditional music professors from across the country demanded that the designation of the chairman of the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts be withdrawn.
Figures in stage circles released a statement by 100 stage actors and demanded that the Culture Ministry stop hiring figures only from the Korean People’s Artist Federation.
They protested the government’s favoritism in vain.
Figures who distort art and culture with their old-fashioned ideologies should be cleared away because culture wields strong power to control values that permeate politics, economy and society.
Attending a meeting with senior figures from the art and culture circle, President-elect Lee Myung-bak said that culture and arts bloom in the most peaceful and prosperous time and he would implement policies in that direction.
The key to such policies must be to clear relics from the leftist government and restore healthy and diverse culture and arts.
To find concrete ways to achieve the goal is one of the first tasks for President-elect Lee Myung-bak and the presidential transition team.