President Moon and First Lady Attend New Year's Gathering of Cultural Artists... Emphasizing BTS and Parasite Achievements

President Moon Encourages Innovative Creativity and Efforts Behind Hallyu... Cultural Artists Including Writer Jo Jung-rae Attend

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in and the First Lady attended the '2020 New Year's Gathering of Cultural Artists' held on the afternoon of the 8th at the Seoul Arts Center Music Hall in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to encourage artists.

The 2020 New Year's Gathering of Cultural Artists is an event to encourage the innovative creativity and hard work of cultural artists who have been the foundation of the global 'Hallyu' wave. It was organized to share the message of harmony and hope through culture and the arts.

Attendees included writer Jo Jung-rae, intangible cultural asset performer Ahn Sook-sun, pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, installation artist Lee Juyo, ceramic artist Kim Si-young, architect Han Yang-gyu, cartoonist Lee Soo-in, ballerina Go Ah-ra (hearing impaired), traditional Korean musician Song So-hee, actors Yoo Dong-geun, Jung Bo-suk, Son Hyun-joo, Moon So-ri, entertainers Eom Yong-soo, Song Eun-yi, singers Yang Hee-eun, Kim Jong-jin, Hwang Chi-yeul, designer Lee Sang-bong, Hong Eun-joo, and sculptor Seok Chang-woo (artist with prosthetic arm), among others.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

More than 80 heads of cultural and artistic organizations, including the National Academy of Arts of Korea, the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, the Korean Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations, and the Korean Arts and Culture Association, attended. The New Year's Gathering was hosted by traditional Korean musician Nam Sang-il.

In his greeting, President Moon Jae-in mentioned the achievements of BTS and the film 'Parasite' last year, conductor Kim Eun-sun who was appointed music director of the San Francisco Opera in the United States, and violist Park Kyung-min, the first Korean to become a lifetime member of the Berlin Philharmonic, praising the cultural artists' contributions and saying it was a year when Korea took a big step toward becoming a country with strong cultural power.

Furthermore, President Moon announced that in 2020, the government would not spare support for the cultural sector, with a record-high budget of 6.4803 trillion won. He emphasized that through strengthening the creative safety net for artists, creating a fair cultural ecosystem, content innovation strategies, and expanding opportunities for the public to enjoy culture, the government would make 2020 a year in which people would feel a 'definite change' toward inclusion, fairness, innovation, and peace.

Writer Jo Jung-rae offered New Year's wishes, saying, "Just as the rat symbolizes abundance, I hope that all the hopes held in the hearts of the people will come true in the new year and bring prosperity." He proposed a toast with the traditional drink Omija vinegar.

Additionally, rising artist violinist Kim Dong-hyun, who won a prize in the violin category of the Tchaikovsky Competition, one of the world's top three competitions; singer Hong Jin-young, who has contributed to expanding the base of trot music across generations in popular culture; and Son Sook, a master of theater and chairman of the Seoul Arts Center, each delivered New Year's greetings in turn.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.