Culture Ministry pushes global focus, high quality for Korean artists

Culture Minister Yu In-chon speaks during a press conference on Monday at the Modu Art Theater in Seodaemun District, western Seoul. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Monday that nearly all the support it will provide to Korean artists and related groups from now on, under the new minister Yu In-chon, will have a “global focus” to make sure Korean culture expands into the global market more strategically.

Yu, who was officially appointed as the culture minister on Oct. 11, met with local reporters for the first time on Monday at Modu Art Theater in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, and emphasized that “all the supporting plans the ministry draws up from now on for Korean artists will keep going global in mind.”

“I have stressed this to all the directors of different departments of the ministry to make sure we are all on the same page and to reorganize the supporting system that focuses on making sure our Korean artists and art groups are able to actively showcase their works on the world stage and receive the proper attention they deserve,” Yu said. “I believe local governments are already doing very well supporting the artists and groups for the works being showcased locally, but for works that have the potential to go global, I think it’s the central government’s role.”

Specifically mentioning the 2024 Summer Olympics slated to take place in Paris next summer, Yu said he will let Korea’s fine art take the lead.

“During the Olympic Games in Paris, the Culture Ministry will fully support K-art so that it can receive the spotlight globally and make sure Korean artists get properly introduced,” he said. “I got to live in Paris for about six months, just before Covid-19, and I was fascinated by the number of art galleries and the different types of artists that were being represented by those galleries. I think the Olympic Games next year will be a great test bed for us to prove that K-art is also up to a certain global standard.”

For this, the Culture Ministry said it has already secured 44 billion won ($32.8 million) for its budget to promote Korean art overseas next year, which is about 9 billion won more than last year.

As for the performing arts sector, Yu said he believes the ministry has to screen the quality of the works that ask for the ministry’s support after getting invited to an international festival. He said he wants to create a more systematic approach to selecting works worthy of the government’s support.

“I personally think the quality of the works that get invited to international festivals and receive government support needs to be better,” Yu said. “Until now, if the artists show us an invitation from such global festivals, the ministry would finance them with airfares or something at least, but I think it should be more systematic, and the ministry should be more involved in checking the quality.”

Yu, a veteran actor, had previously served as culture minister from February 2008 to January 2011 during the Lee Myung-bak administration. As an actor, Yu had been mostly active on theater stages; he last played Faust in Johann Wolfgang von Gothe’s play “Faust,” which was staged at the LG Arts Center from March 31 to April 29.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]