Corporate Support for Arts and Culture Declines for the First Time in Three Years Amid Challenging Business Environment

KRW 196.9 billion last year, down 7.4% year-on-year

Hyundai Department Store tops companies, Samsung Foundation of Culture leads foundations

K-culture growth influences support funding increase by 35.2%

Due to changes in the business environment, the total amount of corporate support for arts and culture in Korea decreased last year for the first time in three years.

According to the “2025 Corporate Arts and Culture Support Survey” released by the Korea Mecenat Association on June 30, the total amount of corporate support for arts and culture last year was KRW 196.879 billion. The number of companies providing support increased to 728, and the number of support cases rose to 2,392, up 24% and 28.5% respectively compared to 2024. However, the total amount of support dropped by 7.4%. This survey targeted 737 companies, including the top 500 companies by sales as well as corporate-funded cultural foundations.

By area of support, funding for infrastructure (such as performance halls, multi-purpose cultural spaces, and art museums) amounted to approximately KRW 110.6 billion, down 7.9% from the previous year, having the largest impact on the overall decline in support.

Support for the art and exhibition sector also fell by 27.7% year-on-year, primarily due to a reduction in support activities from the retail industry. Funding for classical music (-4.8%) and arts education (-9.8%) also decreased, mainly because companies ended long-term projects they had been operating.

On the other hand, support amounts increased in the fields of original musicals (85.2%), theater (27%), video and media (20.2%), and non-mainstream/multidisciplinary arts (11%). However, as each of these categories accounts for less than 4% of the total support amount, their overall impact was limited.

By supporting entity, Hyundai Department Store recorded the largest amount of support among individual companies, newly rising to first place. Hyundai Department Store operates exhibitions, performances, and educational programs at venues such as the Alt1 Museum, Gallery H, Hyundai Museum of Kids' Books & Art, and cultural halls, thereby contributing to improving public access to culture. The company also continues to support the arts through collaboration with artists, including design product development and the creation of cultural spaces.

Among corporate-funded foundations, Samsung Foundation of Culture maintained its first-place ranking for the second consecutive year. The foundation operates the Leeum Museum of Art and Hoam Museum of Art, presenting large-scale exhibitions that showcase trends in contemporary art and exhibitions with significant art historical value. Through its multi-purpose cultural space “Sounds S,” the foundation also offers differentiated programs such as classical and traditional performances, continuing its support for a wide range of arts and culture fields.

This year’s survey also examined, for the first time, the impact of the recently expanding K-culture industry on corporate support for arts and culture. The results showed that the growth of the K-culture industry had a positive impact on building consensus about the need for arts and culture support and activating internal discussions within companies. However, only 35.2% of respondents agreed that growth in the K-culture industry led to an actual increase in arts and culture support funding. This indicates that while the industry’s growth has raised corporate awareness and recognition of the need for support, its effect on expanding the scale of actual support remains limited.

The Korea Mecenat Association analyzed, “In 2025, the scale of corporate sponsorship for arts and culture shrank, with companies selectively adjusting support projects amid economic volatility,” adding, “Companies still recognize the necessity and social value of supporting arts and culture, but they are now adjusting the areas and scale of support by more rigorously considering business performance, profitability, and budget efficiency.”

The association assessed that a joint effort by companies, the arts sector, and the government is needed to overcome the stagnation in the growth of corporate support for arts and culture and to mitigate the risk of reduced sponsorship due to economic fluctuations. The association said, “Companies should strengthen strategic support systems based on mid- to long-term partnerships, and the arts sector needs to further advance its capacity for collaboration with companies and upgrade its business models. The government should also expand effective policy support, such as tax credits for companies supporting arts and culture, to actively encourage corporate sponsorship.”

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