"Cultural Nuri Card Focused on Use for Books, Transportation, and Movies"

Rep. Kim Ye-ji's Criticism at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Audit
"Contrary to the Purpose of Improving the Quality of Life for Marginalized Groups"

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee attended the National Assembly's audit on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 1st, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Concerns have been raised that the Integrated Cultural Voucher deviates from its original purpose of improving the quality of life for marginalized groups and reducing cultural disparities between social classes.

On the 1st, Kim Ye-ji, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out at the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that the usage of the Integrated Cultural Voucher, known as the Munhwa Nuri Card, is concentrated in certain sectors. She criticized, "The usage is focused on books, transportation, and movies," adding, "In cities and counties with fewer cultural and artistic events, it is difficult to utilize the card locally, making it hard to fulfill the original purpose of the program."

The Munhwa Nuri Card is issued to basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income groups, providing an annual support of 100,000 KRW. The number of beneficiaries reaches approximately 1.77 million. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s submitted 'Munhwa Nuri Card Usage Status by Sector,' 60.1% (about 85 billion KRW) of last year’s budget was spent on books. Transportation accounted for 11.5% (about 16 billion KRW), and movies for 8.5% (about 12 billion KRW). In contrast, the proportion spent on performances was only 0.4%.

The Ministry has pursued improvement measures such as strengthening merchant management and discovering merchants by region, but has repeatedly encountered limitations. Representative Kim pointed out, "Among the approximately 22,000 merchants, lodging businesses (3,803 locations) make up the largest share, but the sector most frequently used is books," adding, "Simply increasing the number of merchants is not a solution to the concentration of usage." She emphasized, "It is time to reconsider whether the phenomenon of using the Munhwa Nuri Card as a book gift certificate is desirable," and urged, "In addition to preparing improvement measures tailored to regional circumstances, a quota system for basic arts and disability arts should be introduced."

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