National Tourism Policy Command Tower Upgraded to Presidential Authority... National Tourism Strategy Meeting Elevated

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that an amendment to the “Tourism Framework Act,” which upgrades the National Tourism Strategy Meeting to be under the direct authority of the President, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on April 21, 2026. The amendment also newly includes a function to evaluate the implementation results of the tourism promotion plan and reflect those results in policy.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Expanded National Tourism Strategy Meeting held at the Blue House on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News

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The National Tourism Strategy Meeting is the highest policy consultative body in the field of tourism, responsible for deliberating and coordinating the direction of tourism promotion and major policies. Since its launch in 2017, it has convened 11 times and has previously operated under the Prime Minister. Once the amendment comes into effect, the status of the meeting will be elevated to be under the President, and the structure will be institutionally established for the President to take the lead in coordinating tourism policy.

The core of this revision is not merely a change in status. To address previously raised weaknesses in post-implementation review and policy feedback for tourism promotion plans, the functions of evaluating implementation results and reflecting them in policy have been specified as items for deliberation and coordination by the National Tourism Strategy Meeting. Legislative notice materials from the National Assembly also highlighted this intention, noting concerns that the government’s feedback system had not functioned properly.

At the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting in February, the President attended in person and expressed the intention to foster tourism as a driving force for the national economy and regional development. This legal revision strongly formalizes that operational framework. Observers interpret the institutional reform as reflecting the intention to elevate tourism to a national strategic industry by strengthening inter-ministerial cooperation and the effectiveness of policy coordination across government agencies.

Tourism Policy Public Proposal Promotion Notice. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

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As a follow-up measure, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization will host the “Public Proposal Contest for Tourism Policy” from April 22 to May 12. The contest targets eight areas, including measures for the “Grand Transition in Inbound Tourism and Great Leap in Regional Tourism.” After a review process, 20 outstanding proposers will be selected. According to a report by The Herald Economy, the awards will include one grand prize of 1 million won, two excellence prizes of 500,000 won each, and 17 encouragement prizes of 100,000 won each.

Kang Jeongwon, policy chief of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, “With the elevation of the National Tourism Strategy Meeting to the President’s office, the execution and policy coordination functions of the tourism policy implementation system have been significantly strengthened. Based on this enhanced policy foundation, we hope that the ‘Public Proposal Contest for Tourism Policy’ will attract considerable interest and participation from the public, so that policies truly needed in the field can be actively discovered.”

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