Hwang Hee Visits Daehangno: "Minimizing 'Distanced Seating' with Rapid PCR Testing"

"Already Applied for Approval to MFDS... Expanded Application to Tourism, Festivals, etc."

"We will do our best to support recovery from COVID-19." Hwang Hee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, rolled up his sleeves to rebuild culture and the arts. On the 14th, he visited the Artist's House and Dream Theater Small Theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to listen to the difficulties faced by cultural and artistic workers and to check the quarantine situation.

At a meeting with figures from the performing arts held at the Artist's House, he said, "As the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, I feel a heavy responsibility for the damage the cultural and artistic community has suffered due to COVID-19," and promised, "We will support both face-to-face and non-face-to-face arts, and do our best to help artists stabilize their livelihoods and create."

Minister Hwang mentioned the introduction of rapid COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing as a measure to revitalize performances. "COVID-19 can be detected with saliva alone. Since Daehangno has a concentration of performance venues, temporarily operating two mobile clinics is worth trying," he said. The plan is to have audiences take COVID-19 tests before performances and, if negative, allow them to watch without seat spacing. He added, "The time for rapid PCR test results is expected to be shortened from 54 minutes to 30 minutes, and approval has already been applied for at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety," and said, "We plan to expand this to tourism, festivals, and other areas."

Minister Hwang also emphasized securing safety nets such as human rights and welfare for cultural artists. He stated, "Recovery from COVID-19 is the first task, and sustainability is the second," and added, "We will steadily establish the institutional foundation to enhance the rights and interests of the entire arts community, including the stable settlement of the artist employment insurance system introduced last year and the prompt legislation of the 'Artist Rights Protection Act'." He said, "Believing that 'the answer is in the field,' I will continuously collect opinions from the cultural and artistic community and reflect them in policies as a 'minister who works on the ground,'" and requested, "As partners overcoming COVID-19 together, I ask for much advice and insight."

The meeting was attended by Gil Hae-yeon, Chairperson of the Korea Theater Welfare Foundation; Jeon Ki-gwang, CEO of Dream Theater; Kim Hong-taek, CEO of MyMapha; Lim Jeong-hyeok, Chairperson of the Korean Small Theater Association; Jeong Cheol, Head of Operations at the Korea Artist Welfare Foundation; Heo Seong-hoon, Secretary General of the Federation of Korean Artistic and Cultural Organizations; and Kim Jong-seon, Secretary General of the Federation of Korean Ethnic Arts Organizations.

Meanwhile, Minister Hwang also visited the National Folk Museum on the same day and urged the expansion of online communication. He said, "The shift in people's activities to 'social distancing' and 'non-face-to-face' has brought a crisis where museums can no longer operate in traditional ways," and requested, "Please provide continuous services through online exhibitions and the development of various digital contents."

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