[2025 Audit] School Arts Education Budget Slashed from 54 Billion to 13 Billion Won... 956 Schools Halt Programs

Sharp Decline in Government Funding Under Yoon Administration
Ministries of Culture and Education Shift Responsibility

With the reduction of the School Arts and Culture Education Support Program, students are losing opportunities for arts education. This is a consequence of reduced government funding following the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Launched in 2006, the School Arts and Culture Education Support Program has been a flagship policy, dispatching arts instructors to elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide to provide a variety of educational programs in music, art, theater, and more.

According to data released on October 14 by Assemblywoman Son Sol of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, the related budget was cut in half from 57.4 billion won in 2023 to 28.7 billion won the following year. This year, it has been further reduced to 13 billion won. The number of participating schools also dropped from 8,693 in 2023 to 7,737 in 2025, resulting in the discontinuation of arts and culture education at 956 schools.

From this year, local education offices are partially responsible for the salaries and operational expenses of arts instructors, which were previously funded by the national government. As a result, regions with weaker local finances are seeing higher rates of program discontinuation. By school level, 475 elementary schools, 246 middle schools, 204 high schools, and 28 special schools have ended their arts education programs.

Concerns are growing in the field, as arts education is known to have a positive impact on students' social skills and academic achievement. Although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education have been discussing countermeasures since last year, they have yet to reach an agreement on budget responsibility and the division of roles.

Assemblywoman Son stated, "While the authorities continue to shift responsibility, the damage to students and arts instructors is increasing," and emphasized, "Fundamental measures must be established to ensure that all students have equal access to arts and culture education."