[Public Voices] Investing in the Future of K-Culture

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Budget Rises 22.6% to 9.6 Trillion Won Next Year

Establishing a Virtuous Investment Cycle in People and Creativity

From Safety Nets for Artists to Securing Content IP

“K-Pop Demon Hunters,” which won both the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song this past March, is infused with elements of Korean culture throughout. The backdrop features the traditional Irworobongdo folding screen, and the main characters don modern reinterpretations of Hanbok as they face off against evil spirits. The popularity of such content has translated into growing public interest. Last year, the National Museum of Korea welcomed 6.5 million visitors—ranking third in the world after the Louvre and the Vatican—and the museum’s cultural merchandise brand “Myuze” recorded 41.3 billion won in sales, twice the amount of the previous year. Inbound tourism numbers also hit a record high, with 18.94 million foreign visitors in 2023 and 10.71 million visitors recorded in just the first half of this year, a new six-month record. Creative works that embody our culture become content, that content attracts people, and an expanded market, in turn, gives rise to new creative works. This virtuous cycle is currently the driving force behind South Korea’s emergence as a cultural powerhouse.

Yet, this success did not happen overnight. The same was true for author Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024. At the time of her award, Han Kang’s novels—supported by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea—had been translated into 76 editions in 28 languages and had found readers all around the globe. Steadfast investment in creative sources is what powers today’s globally celebrated K-culture.

However, the lives of creators who generate these original works are far from abundant. According to the 2024 Survey on the Status of Artists, the average annual income an artist earns from their work is 10.55 million won, which amounts to just 41% of the per-capita average income in South Korea. In addition, 23% of artists reported halting their activities for at least a year, with the main reason cited being “insufficient income.” If creators are unable to continue their creative work, there will be no tomorrow for K-culture.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s 2027 budget proposal stands at 9.6345 trillion won—a 22.6% increase over this year and almost double the government’s total expenditure increase rate of 12.8%. This figure reflects the government’s determination to build on the achievements of K-culture and to make culture, sports, and tourism part of everyday life for everyone. However, the true key lies not in the size of the budget, but in the direction of investment.

First, we will strengthen safety nets so that artists can continue their creative work. The budget supporting social insurance participation will expand from 1.5 billion won to 31.1 billion won, easing the burden of workers’ compensation and national pension premiums, and newly subsidizing health check-up expenses. We will also substantially increase loans for living expenses and rental deposits. Regional touring performances and traveling exhibitions by the National Museum will see a significant increase in funding to help bridge cultural gaps, ensuring that everyone, wherever they are in Korea, can access high-quality culture.

For young people, we will expand opportunities to experience culture and gain work experience. The “Youth Culture & Arts Pass,” previously limited to those 19 or 20 years old, will be expanded as the “Youth Culture Pass” to support individuals up to age 34, covering spending on performances, exhibitions, movies, books and now also sports activities. We will also broaden practical opportunities, such as encouraging placements for young artists in arts organizations and dispatching youth to K-culture projects overseas. As culture permeates young people’s daily lives, and as they work in cultural fields and continue to nurture the creative ecosystem, another virtuous cycle is set in motion.

We will support the K-content industry in acquiring and cultivating its own intellectual property. The K-Content Fund will receive a record contribution of 603 billion won, while we also strengthen assistance for production companies to directly acquire drama rights instead of relying exclusively on global OTT capital. For indie music, a new 16 billion won will be set aside to establish performance and exchange hubs and to grow representative festivals. Support for indie games will increase, with the cultivation program expanding from 130 to 200 titles, thereby nurturing the future sources of K-culture. Those who captivate the world today all began on small stages as unknown teams in the past.

The fruits of investment in culture take time to ripen. It may take years for a new writer’s spoken lines, supported today, to be read in another language, or for a band’s song, performed on a small stage, to resound worldwide. Yet every cultural achievement we now enjoy began with an investment made yesterday. An irreplaceable cultural powerhouse is not a finished product, but the outcome of continuous investment in people, creativity, regions, and the future. We look forward to seeing the seeds we plant today grow into tomorrow’s K-culture.

Kim Youngsoo, First Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism

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