President Moon: "There Will Never Be Another Cultural Blacklist"... '2020 Cultural Artists New Year's Gathering'

President Moon Jae-in is delivering a greeting at the New Year's meeting for cultural artists held on the afternoon of the 8th at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. On the left is writer Jo Jung-rae. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] President Moon Jae-in met with cultural artists on the 8th and stated that incidents like the 'cultural blacklist' scandal that occurred during the previous administration will never happen again.

At the '2020 New Year's Meeting with Cultural Artists' held at the Seoul Arts Center Music Hall that day, President Moon said, "I had lunch with Minister Park Yang-woo of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and he told me that due to the blacklist scandal, our cultural and artistic freedom suffered greatly, for which I am truly sorry. That incident also caused significant stagnation within the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, but they say they have now largely overcome it."

President Moon promised, "Not only will such an incident (the blacklist scandal) never happen again, but we will also guarantee the freedom of culture and arts to the fullest extent, support the livelihood stability and creative activities of cultural artists, and ensure the highest possible level of welfare." He continued, "We will provide maximum support so that cultural artists can focus on their creative work without worrying about their livelihood, and through that, help make the Republic of Korea a prouder nation."

President Moon emphasized, "I hope we properly recognize our level. Our culture is showing a level so high that the world admires it." He added, "Currently, the whole world is talking about a crisis of democracy due to the rise of far-right extremism and populism, but we have restored democracy through the Candlelight Revolution in a cultural and peaceful way, which the world admires."

He also mentioned, "Many people still hold the stereotype that although Korea has grown economically, its culture, democracy, and civic consciousness are still far behind, or say 'Economically, it has become a developed country, but in other areas, it is still a developing country.' However, that is not true."

President Moon reiterated, "We should live with the thought that we are a very proud country not only in terms of economy but also in culture and arts, democracy, and our civic consciousness, comparable to our economic power."

Meanwhile, regarding director Bong Joon-ho's film Parasite recently winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, President Moon said, "It is very good news," and described it as "a great achievement showing the strength of 100 years of Korean cinema, following the Palme d'Or win at the Cannes Film Festival."

President Moon introduced, "When I meet ASEAN leaders, the main topic of conversation is our dramas. The Prime Minister of Thailand said that watching Korean dramas at his residence after work is his hobby, and since he is a former Chief of Staff of Thailand, he said he enjoyed 'Descendants of the Sun.' According to the Prime Minister of Vietnam, when Korean dramas air in Vietnam, the usually crowded streets become quiet."

He continued, "Our K-pop, including BTS, is also amazing. When I visited the United Arab Emirates, I was moved to see women wearing hijabs singing along in unison. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia earnestly requested that BTS be brought along during my visit. Despite being a closed society, K-pop is welcomed to that extent," he elaborated.

President Moon recalled, "When I went to Belgium to attend the 2018 ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Summit, the host, the European Union (EU) Commission President, listened to pianist Lim Dong-hyuk's Chopin performance and said, 'You invited the best Chopin performer in the world.'"

President Moon concluded, "Our culture and arts illuminate the Republic of Korea and make it a very proud country. Thanks to that, whenever I go abroad or meet foreign leaders, I feel a sense of pride."

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