Choi Hwiyoung Directly Rebuts Opposition Criticism of Overseas Trip... "Saddened by Negative View of K-Culture"

"If you invite me, I will explain South Korea's K-Culture achievements in detail"

Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, directly responded to opposition criticism of President Lee Jae-myung's overseas trip.

Yonhap News Agency

On Nov. 1, Minister Choi wrote on X (formerly Twitter), his social media account: "I was very surprised to hear that Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, publicly criticized the president's overseas trip in connection with the 'Lumiere Summit' and his visit to a K-pop concert venue in Mexico." He added, "The 'Lumiere Summit,' held in France in early September, was a meaningful international summit co-chaired by President Lee and me at the direct suggestion of French President Emmanuel Macron."

Minister Choi emphasized, "The fact that France, which gave birth to cinema in the 19th century, joined hands with the Republic of Korea, a global cultural powerhouse in the 21st century, drew intense attention from the global film and audiovisual industries. It was also an occasion that clearly impressed upon the world South Korea's stature and leadership in the cultural sphere."

He continued, "During the president's trip to Mexico at the end of September, he held a 'K-Culture meeting' with Mexican teenagers at a Stray Kids concert held there and watched part of the performance with them. This was also a highly symbolic moment that further fueled the K-culture craze in Latin America." He added, "The explosive enthusiasm shown by nearly 60,000 local fans at the time was a moment that must have made every South Korean feel great pride."

He went on, "I cannot know what reasons or briefings led Representative Jang to take that position. However, as the minister responsible for cultural policy, I feel deeply disappointed and bewildered that a responsible political leader at the center of state affairs has such a negative perception of the value and achievements of 'K-culture,' which we have worked so hard to build."

Finally, he told Representative Jang, "If you invite me at any time, I will come in person and explain in detail South Korea's 'K-culture' policies and achievements, which the entire nation takes pride in and is working together to advance."

Earlier, on Oct. 31, Representative Jang criticized President Lee's overseas trip in a post on social media, writing: "How does someone who's so busy have time to meet actors and post selfies? Didn't he even go all the way to the French film festival (Lumiere Summit), where no world leader showed up? Who was it that went sightseeing in Manhattan, New York, even though soldiers had their ankles blown off? And who went all the way to Mexico and watched K-pop while waving glow sticks alongside his wife?"

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