Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Opens Applications for '2021 Leisure-Friendly Certification' for Companies and Institutions

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it will accept applications for the ‘2021 Leisure-Friendly Certification’ from the 7th to May 21st in cooperation with the Regional Culture Promotion Agency.

The Leisure-Friendly Certification program is a system that certifies companies and institutions that practice exemplary ‘leisure-friendly management’ to help workers harmoniously balance work and leisure life, according to Article 16 of the ‘Framework Act on the Activation of National Leisure.’ Up to last year, 201 companies have been certified.

According to interviews conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with employees of small and medium-sized enterprises certified as leisure-friendly companies, employee pride has increased, and there have been more applicants after certification.

Leisure-friendly companies and institutions receive awards such as the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award and the Regional Culture Promotion Agency Director Award, and receive support for corporate promotion. They are also given additional points in the Worker Vacation Support Project (hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization), workplace culture delivery on ‘Culture Day,’ support for the DongDongDong Cultural Playground program (hosted by the Regional Culture Promotion Agency), artist dispatch support projects (hosted by the Korea Artists Welfare Foundation), humanities lectures (hosted by the Korea Publication Culture Industry Promotion Agency), and various cultural event opportunities for workers.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of this system, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to expand the certification target to include public institutions to spread a culture that respects workers’ leisure time in the workplace. The evaluation system will also be rationally improved. Furthermore, even if it is one legal entity, if there are different business sites, separate certification applications will be allowed to further promote the creation of leisure-friendly working environments.

Starting this year, pre- and post-consultations to support leisure-friendly certification will be strengthened. Pre-consultations will be conducted for companies and institutions that apply for certification and wish to receive pre-consultation. Those who complete the pre-consultation will receive additional points when applying for certification next year to support preparation for the leisure-friendly certification application. Post-consultations for companies and institutions that have already received leisure-friendly certification will also be strengthened to help stabilize leisure-friendly systems in the workplace.

Detailed information can be found on the websites of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Regional Culture Promotion Agency. The final selection results will be announced in July after document review and on-site evaluation.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official stated, “Being certified as a leisure-friendly company or institution helps enhance the image of the company or institution and attract excellent talent, as well as receive incentives expanded at the government level. We hope for active participation from companies and institutions that value a life with leisure and contribute to spreading a leisure-friendly culture by practicing leisure activation.”

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