Minister Choi Huieong Announces Expanded Support for Theatrical Creation and Plans Venue Rental Subsidies

Theater Subcommittee of the Cultural Arts Policy Advisory Committee Convenes Meeting

"Up until now, the budget for the theater sector has been focused more on enjoyment than on creation. There have been very few programs supporting creation, so we plan to expand the related budget and, in particular, to establish a foundation that will allow small theaters to continuously develop their signature works."

On June 9, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Huieong announced plans to increase the budget for supporting theatrical creation at the 3rd meeting of the Theater Subcommittee of the Cultural Arts Policy Advisory Committee, held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

This meeting was convened to discuss what measures are needed to revitalize the theater industry, which continues to face significant challenges. Attendees included Kim Doil, visiting professor at Dongguk University Graduate School of Arts and Culture and a subcommittee advisor; actor Kim Sooro; Park Beomsoo, executive director of the Cultural Power Network; Park Jeongmi, CEO of Park Company; Bang Jiyoung, president of ASSITEJ Korea; and Lim Daeil, president of the Korea Theater Actors Association.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hee-young is explaining the support policy for the theater community at the 3rd meeting of the Theater Division of the Cultural Arts Policy Advisory Committee held on the 9th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Minister Choi also stated that the ministry would promote a program to subsidize venue rental fees, aiming to reduce the financial burden on theater professionals. He said, "Although the government is considering building, purchasing, or leasing theaters to provide support, it is unlikely that this will progress quickly. Therefore, we plan to start by implementing a rental fee support program." He also mentioned public theaters such as the Arko Arts Theater and Daehakro Arts Theater, which are operated by the Korea Arts Council (Arko) under the ministry, adding, "We are also considering ways for private organizations to make greater use of public theaters."

Theater professionals argued that, above all, support is needed to address the shortage of new plays. Actor Lee Giyoung pointed out that theater troupes have been forced to rely on classical works due to the lack of new scripts.

He said, "From the perspective of producing a play, even if we want to stage new works, there are hardly any scripts available, and not many plays are released to the public." He emphasized, "We need to create opportunities for emerging writers to produce works through open competitions." Actor Kim Sooro added, "If there were one or two major contests per year, each with a prize of around 50 million won, it would encourage the creation of quality works and help revitalize the theater scene."

There was also a suggestion that the role of national and public organizations in the development of the theater sector should be reconsidered. Park Jeongmi, CEO of Park Company, said, "National and public organizations should avoid adopting the same production methods as the private sector, such as staging foreign classics or relying on star marketing." She added, "Private organizations should be able to gain new ideas and discover outstanding staff and actors through works at public theaters." Park went on to say that she was very impressed by the recent barrier-free play "Anything You Like," produced by the National Theater, and stressed, "Policies are needed to help good public works that have already been developed become part of a regular repertoire so that they can be seen by more audiences."

Lim Daeil, president of the Korea Theater Actors Association, remarked, "There seems to be no policy or budget in place to provide even a minimal safety net for theater actors' activities," adding, "Support for actors is also essential."

Minister Choi stressed that he would thoroughly address all necessary matters to revitalize the theater sector, emphasizing that expanding the ministry's budget is of utmost importance for this purpose. He said, "A larger budget is necessary to implement more programs. The government is currently formulating next year's budget, and I continue to advocate that increasing the ministry's budget is a calling of our time. I will keep working to secure more funding in the future," he said.

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