Ministry of Culture Supports Up to 30 Million KRW Venue Fees for Over 1,800 Performing Arts Groups

Online Registration from the 9th to the 23rd

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The government is set to provide support for venue rental fees to over 1,800 performing arts organizations affected by COVID-19.

On the 9th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, together with the Korea Arts Council, it will invest 5.5 billion KRW to support venue rental fees for more than 1,800 performing arts groups weakened by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The first round of applications will be held from the 9th to the 23rd, and applications can be submitted through the National Culture and Arts Support System.

Since 2014, the Ministry has supported private performing arts organizations and individuals by covering part of the venue rental fees, which constitute a significant portion of production costs, providing approximately 2 billion KRW annually to help them create and present their works stably.

In response to the recent COVID-19 situation, the scale of support has been significantly increased to 6.28 billion KRW in 2020, 5.5 billion KRW in 2021, and 5.5 billion KRW in 2022, expanding assistance to the private performing arts sector.

Notably, this year, eight metropolitan cultural foundations have newly joined the program and, together with the Korea Small Theater Association, will manage the entire process including application reception, evaluation, and disbursement.

The support targets performances such as plays, musicals, dance, music, traditional arts, and multidisciplinary arts held through venue rentals at registered performance venues.

Selected organizations can receive support covering up to 90% of the total venue rental fees, including pure rental fees and auxiliary facility usage fees, with a maximum annual limit of 30 million KRW.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official stated, “The performing arts industry has suffered significant economic damage due to repeated cancellations and postponements of performances caused by COVID-19. We hope this venue rental fee support will provide some help to performing arts organizations and artists continuing their creative work under difficult conditions, and serve as a catalyst to revitalize the stagnant performance market.”

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