COVID-19 Prolongation... Government Takes Measures to Overcome 'Social Isolation and Exclusion'

8th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting Held
'Cultural Strategy in the Non-Face-to-Face Era' Announced
Enabling Performances, Exhibitions, and Arts Education
Expansion of Integrated Cultural Voucher for Youth and Young Adults
Discussion on Improvement Measures for Skills Competition Operations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The government is preparing measures to help overcome social isolation and feelings of alienation even in non-face-to-face situations.

On the 24th, the Ministry of Education announced that it will hold the 8th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting at the Government Sejong Complex based on this content.

The first agenda item is "Cultural Strategy for a Warmly Connected Society in the Non-Face-to-Face Era." In cooperation with related ministries such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the plan is to create an environment where performances, exhibitions, and art education can take place non-face-to-face. Recently, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), cultural and social activities in non-face-to-face environments have caused loneliness and communication breakdowns, and the cultural gap among digitally vulnerable groups who are not accustomed to non-face-to-face settings has been raised as an issue. Non-face-to-face cultural activities will be designed to harmonize people rather than technology.

Next, various cultural safety nets that can alleviate anxiety and depression caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic will be activated. Based on statistics related to loneliness such as social activities and happiness, the government plans to promote "social prescriptions" that connect community care with cultural, artistic, and sports programs in cooperation with local governments. The scope of recipients for the Integrated Cultural Voucher (90,000 KRW per person annually), which is provided to basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income groups, will also be gradually expanded to support youth and adolescents.

Additionally, at the Social Relations Ministers' Meeting on the same day, plans to improve the operation of the Skills Competition will be discussed. The excessive competitive structure will be eased, and the competition operation method will be reorganized. The announcement of comprehensive rankings by city and province will be abolished, and a "joint medal system" similar to the International Skills Olympics will be introduced to expand opportunities for winning awards. Furthermore, a special skills competition class will be operated within the Skilled Technology Promotion Institute to allow students to receive training outside of school. To protect students' rights to learn and health, existing skills classes will be organized and operated as major-focused clubs, and night education after 10 p.m., as well as education on holidays and training camps, will be prohibited in principle.

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