The Connector Who Brews Coffee and Makes Jumeokbap... Jeong Byeong-guk Draws Artists Worldwide to Korea

Jung Byung-guk, Chairman of the Korea Arts & Culture Commission
Prepared Cultural and Artistic Reform Plan Reflecting Field Opinions
Need to Expand Private Support for Arts and Culture Beyond Government Funding

The office of Jeong Byeong-guk, Chairman of the Korea Arts & Culture Commission, is filled with the aroma of coffee. Every Monday, he invites artists and personally brews coffee for them. Thanks to these continuous meetings, his coffee-making skills rival those of a professional. His cooking skills are also top-notch. At the Venice Biennale exhibition held last April, he personally made rice balls and shared them with attendees.

Chairman Jeong is a five-term member of the National Assembly and an icon of conservative reform. He has devoted his life to politics. When he was elected as the 8th Chairman of the Arts Commission last January, there were concerns both inside and outside the arts community. Chairman Jeong initially declined the offer, saying it did not suit a politician’s character. However, he changed his mind after encouragement from those around him. He was deeply concerned that the institution’s direction would be swayed by external influences every time the government changed. He also had a dream of realizing his philosophy on culture and arts. He devoted a full year and a half to establishing the institution’s original status on the ground.

- Despite your busy schedule, you often visit cultural and artistic sites such as performances.

▲ Saying you don’t have time is just an excuse. I try to watch performances and exhibitions whenever I can. I grew up in a rural area where electricity was introduced when I was about to enter middle school, and I came to Seoul for study abroad in the second grade of middle school. The first performance I ever saw was the play “Munyeodo” at the Myeongdong Arts Theater, which I attended as a group after midterms. The cultural shock I experienced then was tremendous. At that time, we didn’t have a TV at home, so I used to watch TV at a neighborhood comic book room for 1 to 2 won. The performance was so vivid in my mind that it led me to explore various art fields such as painting, music, and film. When I first became a member of the National Assembly, I chose the Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting and Communications Committee as my standing committee. Although it was unpopular and struggled to fill its quota, I joined without hesitation and worked there for over ten years. You could say it was the influence of “Munyeodo.”

- The Arts Commission supports pure arts fields such as performance, fine arts, and literature. Pure arts are always challenging, and there are frequent criticisms about insufficient budget support.

▲ No country in the world has pure arts that break even financially. It is practically difficult to sustain pure arts without support. However, it is also impossible to rely solely on government support. There are two ways to support pure arts: national budgets and social sponsorship. South Korea’s pure arts national budget support system is recognized globally as a benchmark model for its excellence. However, the selection rate for government-supported projects on the ground is only 22%, so difficulties remain. It is practically difficult to fill the rest with government budgets alone. There is a need to expand social sponsorship. Recently, with the global success of K-content, Korean cosmetics, fashion, and food culture have attracted attention, and related industries are growing together. Companies that benefit should invest in culture and arts so that K-content, K-beauty, K-fashion, and K-food can grow together in a virtuous cycle.

At this year's Venice Biennale in Italy, the special archive exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Gwangju Biennale opened on-site, where visitors made rice balls by hand and distributed them to attendees.
[Photo by Reader Provided]

- What is the biggest change among the projects you have promoted since taking office as Chairman of the Arts Commission?

▲ After holding public hearings and listening to various stories from the field, the first thing I promoted was a complete overhaul of the cultural and artistic support industry evaluation system. The existing Culture and Arts Promotion Fund public projects were arranged like a department store, totaling forty-four, but there were criticisms that this actually limited the creative areas. Through integration of similar projects, the number was drastically reduced to seventeen. The evaluation system was also revised so that artists could freely express their creativity. Previously, judges were randomly selected by field as long as they met the criteria, which caused various problems. Therefore, we introduced a system where selection is made through internal and external recommendations, followed by a judge verification committee, and reorganized every three years. We also newly started a dedicated review officer system where Arts Commission staff directly take responsibility and participate in evaluations. The staff are top experts in their respective fields, having worked there for a long time. I believed that if they put their positions on the line and participated in evaluations, it would stabilize the review process. As trust gradually builds on the ground, authority will naturally follow.

- Next year, you have attracted the World Summit on Arts and Culture hosted by the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) and cultural institutions to Seoul. What is the background?

▲ I attended the IFACCA General Assembly held last year in Stockholm, Sweden. There was great interest in K-pop and K-content, with individual meetings requested by thirteen countries. They wanted to know how Korea could grow into an economic and cultural powerhouse in such a short time, and how the Korean government’s cultural and artistic support policies and programs are implemented. They showed particular interest in the Arts Commission’s “AIP Camp,” which supports convergence projects between young artists and technology professionals. The gap caused by technological development, especially information issues, is at a serious level worldwide. The cultural and artistic fields are no exception. While new horizons are being expanded through the fusion of technology and arts, restrictions due to technological and information gaps, as well as disparities in the realm of expression, are often observed. How to solve these problems has become a hot topic in the global cultural and artistic community. I proposed holding the next general assembly in Korea on this theme. Seoul was unanimously selected as the host city. The World Summit on Arts and Culture is an international event attended by about 400 top-level figures, scholars, and artists from approximately ninety countries worldwide, including key policymakers and government representatives in culture, arts, and related fields. We plan to introduce Korea’s cultural and artistic policies and seek ways to jointly address the challenges faced by the international community in the cultural and artistic sectors.

Last year, the 'Art Forest Festival' held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Arts Council attracted 9,000 attendees, drawing significant attention.
[Photo by Korea Arts Council]

- The “Art Forest Festival” held last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Arts Commission attracted attention.

▲ Although I emphasized corporate sponsorship of culture and arts earlier, the Art Forest Festival is a campaign encouraging the entire nation to support culture and arts. It is a new concept donation festival where people purchase performance tickets and simultaneously donate to culture and arts. Classical artists like soprano Jo Sumi, as well as pop stars such as Lee Chan-hyuk and Liberante, shared the stage and received high praise from about 10,000 spectators. At the event, 260 people participated in the “Art Tree” sponsorship. Projects to nurture artistic talents and heal marginalized youth are difficult to manage with only the existing Culture and Arts Promotion Fund. I want to promote such projects through the Art Tree sponsorship program to expand the positive influence of the cultural and artistic community.

Jeong Byeong-guk, Chairman of the Korea Arts & Culture Commission, is...

△ Born in 1958 in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi △ Sociology, Sungkyunkwan University △ Graduate School of Public Administration, Yonsei University △ Doctoral course in Political Science, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Sungkyunkwan University △ Member of the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th National Assembly △ Standing Chairman of the National Student Council Revival Preparation Committee △ Presidential Secretary △ Secretary-General of the Grand National Party △ Chairman of the National Assembly Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting and Communications Committee △ 45th Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism △ Leader of the Bareun Party △ Chairman of the People Power Party Talent Recruitment Committee △ 8th Chairman of the Korea Arts & Culture Commission

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