Lee Jae-myung: "I will create a country where artists are not afraid to live"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, promised to "create a country where living as an artist is not frightening."

On the 6th, through Facebook, Governor Lee stated, "Our constitution proclaims the freedom of art and stipulates that the rights of artists are protected by law," but pointed out, "However, artists in our society still do not receive proper guarantees of their rights as professionals."

He continued, "One of the reasons I was outraged by the Park Geun-hye administration's blacklist in the cultural and artistic sectors was because it was a constitutional violation that trampled on artistic freedom," adding, "Several recent cultural and artistic sexual violence cases that have come to light also demonstrate the need for structural reform in the cultural and artistic fields."

He emphasized, "Interest and policy demand for improving artists' welfare, such as the introduction of employment insurance for artists, are increasing, but due to COVID-19, creative activities have been reduced, threatening even basic livelihoods," and stressed, "Systems to guarantee artists' rights are urgently needed."

Governor Lee expressed hope, saying, "Fortunately, on July 27, the Artist Rights Protection Act passed the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee subcommittee in the National Assembly," and added, "The Artist Rights Protection Act will serve as a minimum safety net to protect artists' rights."

He also explained, "Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation decided last month to conduct the '2021 Gyeonggi Province Artist Census,'" stating, "This is to thoroughly investigate the living conditions and creative activity status of artists in the province whose livelihoods are threatened by COVID-19, in order to establish practical support policies."

Furthermore, he envisioned, "A society where artistic creation and freedom of expression are protected, and the professional rights and status of artists are firmly guaranteed," promising, "We will create a new Republic of Korea where the mistaken perception that 'artists must be poor' or 'one must be poor to create art' no longer justifies the suffering of artists."

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