Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Promotes 'Korea Cultural Cities'... "Regional Balanced Development through Culture"

Designation of 'Korea Cultural Cities' in 7 Regions Next Year
Up to 10 Billion KRW from National and Local Governments Each, Total 20 Billion KRW Over 3 Years

Direction for Promoting Cultural Cities in the Republic of Korea: Strengthening the Network between Leading Cities in Each Region and Nearby Cities. Graphic provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The government will designate around seven representative cultural cities in the Republic of Korea to lead region-centered balanced cultural development.

On the 8th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it will create 'Korea Cultural Cities' as a leading project for the government's national agenda of 'region-centered balanced cultural development.'

The creation of Korea Cultural Cities is a project that designates about seven representative cultural cities nationwide as leading cities by region and strengthens the network between nearby cities to induce balanced cultural development.

This project aims to comprehensively and systematically utilize cultural resources within cities and lead balanced cultural development through networks with neighboring cities. In addition, it will focus on evaluating the specialization of core projects (anchor projects) that can strengthen city brands by reflecting the unique cultural resources and conditions of the region.

For regions designated as Korea Cultural Cities, after conducting a preliminary project for one year, a total of 10 billion to 20 billion KRW will be invested over three years from 2025 to 2027, including 5 billion to 10 billion KRW in national funds and 5 billion to 10 billion KRW in local funds.

Since announcing the 'Cultural City Promotion Plan' in 2018, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has designated 24 cultural cities to date: 7 in the first phase, 5 in the second phase, 6 in the third phase, and 6 in the fourth phase. The ministry plans to continue performance evaluations conducted annually since 2020 and strengthen advisory and consulting services based on the evaluation results.

Building on the policy achievements of the first phase cultural cities (2018?2022), the ministry plans to continue the second phase cultural city project (2023?2027) through the designation of 'Korea Cultural Cities,' emphasizing values such as expanding regional cultural autonomy based on uniqueness, creating a fair cultural environment accessible to all, regional co-growth through cooperative networks, and generating tangible outcomes.

'Vision and Promotion Strategy for "Cultural Cities of the Republic of Korea". Graphic provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism classifies cultural cities into seven regions excluding Seoul: metropolitan areas (Incheon, Daejeon, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju), Gyeonggi region, Chungcheong region, Gangwon region, Gyeongsang region, Jeolla region, and Jeju region. Next year, it will designate about one 'Korea Cultural City' per region. After 2024, additional designations will be considered in consultation with financial authorities.

The ministry plans to actively discover and support the dissemination of accumulated cultural city achievements to neighboring cities. In particular, the first to fifth phase cultural cities and Korea Cultural Cities will be required to promote linked and cooperative projects to lead balanced cultural development in the seven regions.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bok-gyun said, "Cultural cities are region-led projects where local governments, public institutions, and residents collaborate to design and expand regional cultural policies," adding, "The ministry plans to further develop the value of cultural cities accumulated so far and precisely brand the cultural attractions that reflect the unique characteristics of each region."

He continued, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration's cultural cities are leading models that create an environment where anyone can fairly enjoy culture regardless of where they live," and added, "Strengthening inter-city connections and networking will be a driving force to open a true era of regional balance."

Local governments wishing to be designated as Korea Cultural Cities can apply by establishing a cultural city creation plan according to the ministry's announcement and submitting an application by the end of October next year. Considering balanced cultural development and project overlap, metropolitan governments, Seoul special city districts, local governments supported by the ministry's regional cultural vitality promotion projects (2022?2023), and the first to fifth phase cultural cities are excluded from eligibility.

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