Seoul City to Provide 1 Million Won 'Living Stability Fund' to 13,000 Artists... Applications Open from 24th

A Total of 13 Billion KRW Invested for Artists with Sharp Income Decline Due to COVID-19
Targeting Artists Living in Seoul, Holding Art Activity Certificates, with Household Median Income Below 120%

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 16th that it will provide 1 million won in 'Artist Livelihood Stabilization Fund' to help artists struggling with their livelihoods due to COVID-19 overcome the crisis and continue their creative activities. Seoul will invest 13 billion won to support 13,000 artists whose income has sharply declined due to COVID-19.

This 'Artist Livelihood Stabilization Fund' is part of the 'Seoul City Livelihood Protection Comprehensive Measures' announced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon to restore public livelihood amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. It is a policy in the support sector for heavily affected groups to address the blind spots in government loss compensation. Applications will be accepted for two weeks from the 24th to the 7th of next month at the district offices where the artists are registered residents.

Through the Seoul City Livelihood Protection Comprehensive Measures, Seoul will invest a record 857.6 billion won in three major areas: ▲Support for small business owners (652.6 billion won) ▲Support for heavily affected groups (154.9 billion won) ▲Expansion of quarantine infrastructure (50.1 billion won).

The cultural and arts sector is one of the industries severely affected by COVID-19. With the application of quarantine guidelines, performances and festivals have been curtailed, causing cumulative damage to the cultural and arts sector. According to a survey by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, last year's estimated revenue loss for businesses in the performance and exhibition sectors due to COVID-19 was 424.4 billion won.

Additionally, due to the high proportion of freelancers among artists, damages related to employment instability are also accumulating. If artists stop their activities due to livelihood difficulties, their competitiveness is expected to deteriorate, making post-COVID recovery challenging. It is estimated that among the approximately 70,000 artists in Seoul, about 78%, or 55,000, work as freelancers. The estimated scale of employment damage to artists due to COVID-19 last year is 279.6 billion won.

The '2022 Seoul Artist Livelihood Stabilization Fund (Disaster Relief Fund)' project targets artists residing in Seoul who hold an 'Artist Activity Verification Certificate' and whose household income is at or below 120% of the median income. Artists selected for the livelihood stabilization fund should note that they cannot receive the special employment type/freelancer emergency living expenses that Seoul City is promoting this year simultaneously and should apply accordingly.

Joo Yong-tae, Head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Culture Headquarters, said, "The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic continues to accumulate damage in the cultural and arts sector. Considering the nature of cultural and artistic professions where experience is highly valued, if artists lose competitiveness due to suspension of activities, there is a high risk of being excluded from the artistic ecosystem. We hope that through this Seoul Artist Livelihood Stabilization Fund, artists facing livelihood difficulties can continue their artistic activities stably."

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