Gwangju Citizens Receive the Fewest Benefits from the Ministry’s "Traveling Cinema" Nationwide

Audience Grows 14-Fold, Budget Increases Fivefold Over Five Years...
Gwangju Remains Marginalized
Min Hyungbae: "The City Must Take Active Steps to Bridge the Cultural Gap"

Min Hyungbae, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Over the past five years, Gwangju has ranked among the lowest of the 17 metropolitan governments nationwide in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's "Traveling Cinema" project, which targets culturally marginalized groups and regions. This has raised concerns over the imbalance in opportunities to enjoy cultural experiences across regions.

According to audit materials submitted by Min Hyungbae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Gwangsan-eul in Gwangju, on September 29, only five screenings took place in Gwangju out of a total of 1,255 "Traveling Cinema" screenings nationwide between 2020 and August of this year. This accounts for just 0.4% of all screenings, falling short of the national average of 1.7%. This clearly demonstrates that Gwangju citizens have received far fewer benefits from the "Traveling Cinema" project compared to other regions.

During the same period, the cumulative number of screenings in other regions showed a stark contrast. Gyeonggi Province had the most with 246 screenings, followed by Sejong with 207, Chungnam with 123, and both Jeonnam and Gyeongbuk with 92 each. Considering that the project's original intent is to bring movies directly to areas with limited access to cinemas, Gwangju's marginalization is seen as a serious issue in light of the project's goal to bridge cultural gaps.

Notably, the project continued to grow even during the pandemic, with audience numbers increasing as well. The number of viewers soared more than sevenfold from 4,150 in 2020 to 30,995 in 2023, and reached 58,410 last year, demonstrating strong public response year after year.

The budget also grew nearly fivefold, from 292 million won in 2020 to 1.3 billion won in 2024. As the scale of the project and citizen participation have increased dramatically, Gwangju's low participation rate remains a disappointing issue.

Assemblyman Min stated, "While people in other regions have been able to enjoy cultural benefits evenly through the ministry's budget, it is regrettable that Gwangju citizens have not been guaranteed equal opportunities."

He added, "It is time for Gwangju to take a more proactive approach, such as expanding barrier-free and youth film screenings, to improve cultural accessibility," urging the city government to take responsible action.

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