[Current & Culture] A Request to the Incoming Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Don't Just Chase Mainstream Pop Culture Trends
Take a Closer Look at the Cultural Figures
Who Have Quietly Stayed by Our Side...

When I joined a broadcasting station as a PD and applied for the radio division, I heard this a lot. In the heyday of TV, radio would soon disappear, so why on earth would I want to become a radio PD? This was around the time the 21st century had just begun, and even now, more than 22 years later, the radio industry is thriving. Fresh aspiring candidates still flock to become radio PDs. No one now confidently claims that radio will disappear. The same goes for TV. Although competitors like the internet, smartphones, YouTube, and online video services (OTT) have emerged one after another, encroaching on TV’s territory and taking much of its domain, TV still guards its own castle.

Novels faced a survival crisis much earlier than broadcasting media. A few years before becoming a radio PD, when I made my literary debut?a term rarely used these days?I often heard similar remarks. The profession of a novelist is a sure way to starve, so why write novels? That might have been true back then. But now, with web novels firmly established, more novelists earn more income than ever before. I can say with certainty that there has never been a time when people read novels as avidly as they do now. People reading web novels on their phones on buses, subways, and in cafes have become as common as those watching YouTube. Let’s lightly dismiss the claim that web novels are not real novels.

During the long and happy Chuseok holiday, I read paper books. Usually, I read novels on a monitor, but this time I deliberately picked up a book after a long time. I binge-read recent works by author Jeong Seraang, whose early works include Only Hana in the World and The School Nurse Files, which was adapted into a drama. The books were so enjoyable that I even took one to the golf course. I also wanted to turn the pages of novels by younger, more audacious emerging writers. Having been captivated by K-pop and hip-hop genres, I hadn’t kept up with indie music for a while, but I listened to it during a long drive. Kim Ibul’s voice shattered along with the autumn sunlight, and Nahi’s songs mingled with the wind flowing through the half-open car window. It was so good that I was reluctant to get out of the car. I wanted to bow in gratitude to the indie musicians who quietly create their own music without worrying about genre or trends.

This week, there was a confirmation hearing for Yoo In-chon, the nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The key points were his previous tenure as minister under a former administration and questions related to the so-called cultural blacklist. Can the qualifications of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the cultural powerhouse Korea be verified through such political questions? Even I, a current PD, struggle to keep up with recent trends, and if it weren’t for a long holiday like this, I would have missed many contents. Shouldn’t we check how much a veteran actor well over seventy understands contemporary popular culture and sports? While a minister does not need to know every detail on the ground, a minimum understanding is necessary. The entrenched practice of appointing politicians, civil servants, professors, and elders as ministers regardless of party affiliation should change now. At least for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Author Jeong Seraang once said she wanted to be the minister of culture, sports and tourism, and I strongly recommend her as a candidate someday.

Whether Yoo In-chon becomes minister or not is still unknown, but I want to ask whoever will be the next Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to pay attention not only to expanding the major trends and huge businesses of popular culture such as K-pop, dramas, and webtoons but also to the things that have long stayed by our side. It’s a great opportunity to gain a wonderful image without spending a lot of money.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist

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