Only 0.3 Art Galleries per 100,000 People in Gyeongnam?

Assemblyman Choi Hyung-doo, 'National Right to Enjoy Arts' Ranks 12th in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, Among the Lowest Nationwide

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] About 37% of cultural infrastructure facilities across 17 cities and provinces nationwide are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, resulting in the 'art enjoyment rights' of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region ranking 12th nationwide, the lowest level.

Choi Hyung-doo (Changwon Masanhappo), a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the People Power Party, pointed out this imbalance during the national audit.

According to Rep. Choi, the total number of art museums nationwide is 258, consisting of 72 national and public art museums, 172 private art museums, and 14 university art museums. Among the 17 cities and provinces, the average number of art museums is 15, with the top regions exceeding this average being Gyeonggi with 52, Seoul with 45, Jeonnam with 32, Jeju with 21, and Gangwon with 18.

Most regional art museums fall below the national average.

Rep. Choi stated, "The number of art museums per 100,000 people in our country is about 0.5. When calculating the number of art museums per 100,000 people, the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region in the southern part of Korea, except for Jeonnam and Gwangju, remains at the bottom, making it not an exaggeration to call it an art museum underserved area."

Through the audit, Rep. Choi also mentioned that although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has set a goal to have one art museum per 39,000 people by 2023, achieving this policy target is realistically difficult, and that the public's cultural and artistic enjoyment rights are a key issue for national balanced development.

He emphasized that cultural and artistic enjoyment rights should not be a privilege of the Seoul metropolitan area and that the government should pay special attention to making this a model case for national balanced development.

Rep. Choi said, "The essence of the 4th Industrial Revolution is creative imagination. Children living in rural areas are deprived not only of cultural and artistic enjoyment but even of access opportunities simply because of their location. This is equivalent to telling local students to give up their creative imagination and dreams regarding culture and arts."

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