Controversy Over Subsidy Favoritism: Moon Jun-yong Says "Money Is Not Given as Artist Income... Selected Through Screening"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Regarding the controversy over preferential treatment after Moon Jae-in's son, Junyong, applied for the 'Emergency Art Support for Damage from the Novel Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19)' and received 14 million KRW from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, he stated that there was no problem with the procedure.

On the afternoon of the 21st, Moon wrote on Facebook, "The COVID support fund is not money given to artists as income, but money that artists use for exhibitions and artwork production," adding, "The support fund is intended to circulate throughout the entire art industry affected by COVID."

He said, "With that purpose, usage rules were established from the beginning, and after receiving detailed plans, appropriateness was reviewed to select me as a (support recipient)," and added, "The support fund is deposited into a separate bank account so that the artist cannot touch it, and receipts are thoroughly inspected." He also added, "A small portion is used for artist labor costs."

It is known that Moon applied for the support fund in April, stating that "three planned exhibitions were canceled, causing significant losses." According to data from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, the total support fund for the visual arts sector was 605.61 million KRW, distributed to 46 people. The minimum support amount was 6 million KRW, and the highest amount was 14 million KRW, received by Junyong and others.

After receiving the support fund, Moon held a solo exhibition at a gallery in Seoul on the 17th.

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