Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Budget for Next Year 7.153 Trillion KRW... Increased by 289.3 Billion KRW

2.4055 Trillion KRW Allocated Solely for Culture and Arts... Content Budget Increased by 9.5% to 1.1231 Trillion KRW
Focus on Overcoming COVID-19 Damage and Restoring Daily Life... 1.9314 Trillion KRW Invested

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee is giving a briefing on the utilization plan for the national donation of Lee Kun-hee's collection at the Seoul Government Complex Annex in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 7th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 1st that the budget for next year has been set at 7.153 trillion KRW, an increase of 289.3 billion KRW (4.2%) compared to this year. This is the first time the Ministry's budget has exceeded 7 trillion KRW.

The sector with the largest share is culture and arts, with a budget of 2.4055 trillion KRW, 189 billion KRW more than this year. The content sector saw the highest growth rate (9.5%, 97.2 billion KRW), with a budget of 1.1231 trillion KRW. The tourism sector decreased by 3.8% (57.5 billion KRW) to 1.4423 trillion KRW, while the sports sector increased by 2.4% (41.9 billion KRW) to 1.8013 trillion KRW.

Key projects focus on overcoming COVID-19 damage and restoring daily life for the public. A total of 1.9314 trillion KRW, 16.2% more than this year, will be invested. Most of this will be used for financial support projects (1.0925 trillion KRW). This includes expanded loan support for tourism businesses (659 billion KRW), the 'Proud Content Korea Fund' (173.7 billion KRW) to revitalize the content production market, loans for the sports industry (134 billion KRW), and fund investments (24 billion KRW).

3.006 trillion KRW will be invested in creative and management support. Major projects include the artists' creative safety net (74.4 billion KRW) and artist workforce development (29.4 billion KRW). Support for the fields of fine arts, literature, and crafts will increase by more than 50% compared to this year. Budgets for workforce development and business management support in tourism and the sports industry will also increase. Plans include talent discovery in the tourism industry (14.8 billion KRW), tourism industry startup support and venture development (32.4 billion KRW), and sports industry business management, workforce development, and regional industry support (50.6 billion KRW).

Projects aimed at revitalizing leisure and restoring daily life focus on community sports and tourism. Based on the Sports Club Act enacted this year, support will be provided for designated sports club activities, and the nationwide league, previously operated only in one sport (football), will be expanded to include three new sports (baseball, table tennis, billiards) and new leagues (three sports), expanding the promotion and relegation system for sports clubs. The budget for sports club development and divisions is 46.8 billion KRW. In the tourism sector, special marketing for COVID-19 recovery (8 billion KRW) is being prepared. Additionally, new tourism content will be fostered, including night tourism (1.4 billion KRW), camping car infrastructure at campgrounds (1.4 billion KRW), stay-type lifestyle tourism (1.6 billion KRW), and pet-friendly travel (0.5 billion KRW).

1.0178 trillion KRW, 21.3% more than this year, will be used to promote the New Korean Wave and nurture future markets in culture, sports, and tourism industries. This includes training export specialists such as content translators and overseas marketing personnel (2 billion KRW) to support cultural content exports, and organizing a large-scale 'Korean Culture Festival' (9.2 billion KRW) to spread the new Korean Wave. New projects such as K-brand Korean Wave marketing (5 billion KRW), overseas promotional centers (4.5 billion KRW), and Korean Wave expos (2 billion KRW) will also be launched to expand exports using the Korean Wave. Efforts will also be made to expand the New Korean Wave encompassing all aspects of Korean culture. New projects include the internationalization of Korean art (2.9 billion KRW) and operation of Korean rooms in overseas museums (3.5 billion KRW), as well as operating the 'Korea Season' (tentative name) to intensively promote Korean culture.

Ongoing support policies for genre industries will focus on promoting the content industry and supporting the industrialization of the arts. This includes video content such as animation and characters (31.5 billion KRW), games (67.1 billion KRW), and publishing and advertising (29.6 billion KRW). Separate from the expenditure budget, the film development fund will be expanded by 80 billion KRW to strengthen support for the film industry, which was heavily affected by COVID-19. In the arts sector, a new 'Art Culture Lab' (16 billion KRW) will be launched. It will be developed as a complex space supporting all aspects of artistic activities, including creation and production, exchange and education, performance and distribution, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, support for K-musical overseas expansion (2.7 billion KRW) and development of performing arts ancillary products (1 billion KRW) will help revitalize the musical and performance market.

Among future market development projects, support related to the 'expanded virtual world (metaverse)' market stands out. As a new growth area, 20.4 billion KRW will be invested in content production support and linking with public functions. The Ministry stated, "We plan to implement new projects such as spreading traditional culture based on metaverse platforms, developing and expanding Korean language educational content, promoting Korean culture and national publicity, and providing public services."

The Ministry will also expand support for the growth of the online video service (OTT) industry. In addition to existing specialized content production (11.6 billion KRW), support will be added for planning and development (2 billion KRW) and immersive content production using popular intellectual property (IP) (6 billion KRW). Furthermore, 104.8 billion KRW, more than 50% higher than this year, will be invested in digital innovation projects such as smart tourism activation, sports science, and the creation of smart museums, art galleries, and libraries. The Ministry's research and development (R&D) budget will also increase by 16.5% to 132.8 billion KRW.

The policy budget to reduce cultural enjoyment disparities will increase by 29%, the highest growth rate among the three core investment sectors next year. Major projects include the creation of cultural cities (25.9 billion KRW), regional performances by national art groups (7.3 billion KRW), nationwide performing arts creation, production, and distribution support (8.7 billion KRW), and promotion of regional cultural vitality (4.6 billion KRW). The budget for integrated cultural vouchers for low-income groups (Cultural Nuri Card) will also increase by 23.9 billion KRW to 150 billion KRW, benefiting an estimated 2.1 million people, up from 1.77 million this year. The Ministry will reduce disparities in sports enjoyment through support for sports lesson vouchers for low-income groups (41.2 billion KRW) and the creation of virtual reality (VR) experience spaces for disabled sports (1 billion KRW). An official stated, "We will accelerate the construction of cultural enjoyment facilities such as the Danginri Cultural Creation Development Center, the National Archives Preservation Center, and the National Korean Literature Museum, which have already been planned," adding, "New sports infrastructure such as the Pyeongchang Winter Training Center will also be established."

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