[2021 National Audit] Seoul Arts Center Ignores Even After Losing 100 Million Won in Venue Fees

Yoo In-taek, President of the Seoul Arts Center. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] It has been revealed that the unpaid rental fees at Yesul-ui Jeondang (Seoul Arts Center) over the past four years amount to 100 million KRW. Despite not properly collecting the rental fees, Yesul-ui Jeondang failed to take appropriate measures.

According to Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, there have been a total of 12 cases of unpaid rental fees at Yesul-ui Jeondang from 2017 to August 2021, with the unpaid amount reaching 97,547,550 KRW.

Breaking down the details, there were 5 cases at the Opera House (performance hall) totaling 88,780,050 KRW, 6 cases at the Music Hall totaling 5,472,500 KRW, and 1 case at the Art Museum/Exhibition Hall totaling 3,295,000 KRW in unpaid rental fees.

Yesul-ui Jeondang has internal regulations allowing cancellation of rental approval or suspension of use in case of unpaid fees, but in reality, only 2 out of the 12 cases (16%) had their approvals canceled.

Legal actions to recover the rental fees were also insufficient. According to regulations, legal measures should be taken if rental fees and auxiliary facility usage fees are unpaid for more than three months, but enforcement was delayed by at least one year and up to two years. Moreover, the Music Hall, Exhibition Hall, and Art Museum did not even have internal regulations allowing legal action in case of unpaid rental fees.

Assemblyman Jeon Yong-gi emphasized, “The financial losses caused by unpaid rental fees must be resolved as soon as possible, and the inadequate collection regulations should be improved promptly to establish a proper rental culture.”

Yesul-ui Jeondang functions as a representative complex cultural and artistic space, serving as a space for expression for artists, a space for creative planning and execution for planners, and a space for cultural enjoyment for the public.

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