'Combining Advanced Technology and Culture Arts'... Seoul City Leaps Forward as a 'Digital Emotional Culture City'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City is set to leap forward this year as a ‘Digital Emotional Culture City’ combining culture, arts, and advanced technology. The goal is to expand the base of the cultural and artistic sectors, which have been stagnant due to COVID-19, enhance their self-sustainability, and increase opportunities for citizens to enjoy culture and arts in their daily lives.

On the 26th, Seoul City announced its policy direction for the cultural and artistic fields this year, introducing four major projects: ▲ convergence of art and technology ▲ expansion of cultural and artistic enjoyment through increased art viewing and creative infrastructure ▲ experiential support projects for continuous creative activities of artists ▲ and ‘Festival City Seoul,’ where seasonal festivals never cease.

First, Seoul City will support capacity building so that artists can quickly respond to the digital transformation in the cultural and artistic sectors. To help pure artists who lack experience and funding in using digital technology produce immersive videos such as AR and VR in a one-stop manner, the old Namsan Creative Center will be remodeled into the ‘Namsan Immersive Studio,’ scheduled to open in the second half of this year. Educational programs will also be operated to nurture future talents in the ‘converged arts’ field, where art and digital technology are integrated.

Investment will also be made to expand the foundation for increasing citizens’ opportunities to enjoy culture and supporting artists’ creative activities. To cultivate the ‘cultural cells’ of youth and enable long-term development of the overall cultural and artistic community, the free cultural performance viewing support project for elementary school students, which was piloted last year, will be expanded to all elementary schools in Seoul this year. A new ‘Performance Equipment Platform’ will be established to lend and share over 2,400 items such as stage props, equipment, and costumes.

For artists struggling with creative activities due to COVID-19, Seoul City will continuously implement various support projects that enhance the ‘sense of impact’ rather than one-sided or one-time aid. A total of 53.1 billion KRW will be invested in supporting creative activities, venue rental fees, and living stabilization funds. 12.3 billion KRW will be allocated to support artistic creation activities, and 2 billion KRW will be invested to foster resident performance groups. Support will be provided for Seoul-style creative theater rental fees, along with plans to expand job opportunities for young artists and provide living stabilization funds for artists.

A total of 10 festivals featuring Seoul’s unique sensibility and stories, including B-boying, K-POP, Gugak (traditional Korean music), and circus, will be held throughout the city year-round. In addition to festivals hosted by Seoul City itself, support for excellent festivals organized by autonomous districts and the private sector will be increased by 2 billion KRW from last year, totaling 6.1 billion KRW.

Joo Yong-tae, Head of Seoul City’s Culture Headquarters, said, “We have prepared balanced support and investment plans so that the cultural and artistic sectors can overcome the stagnation period, build self-sustainability, and leap forward as ‘Digital Emotional Culture City Seoul.’ We will do our best to ensure that artists can focus on their artistic activities in a stable creative environment and develop their capabilities in converged arts, which can become a competitive edge for our culture and arts globally, while citizens can enjoy more opportunities to experience culture and arts where ‘daily life and art are connected.’”

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