"2.55 Million Won a Month, Plus Creative Space"... Program to Support 175 Literary Resident Writers

MCST and ARKO Expand 2027 Support Program to Record Scale
Activity Period Extended from 7 to 9 Months; Two-Year Support for Literary Facilities Introduced
Applications Open to Libraries, Literary Museums and Bookstores Nationwide Through the 13th

The Literary Resident Writer Support Program, which brings writers into libraries, literary museums and bookstores to create works and meet local residents, will expand to its largest scale ever. Next year, it will support 175 writers and extend their activity period from seven months to nine months. Monthly pay will also rise to 2.55 million won.

At Sanchaek Library, which participated in the Literary Resident Writer Support Program, readers are taking part in literary programs with writers. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Council Korea will expand the 2027 program to a record 175 facilities and 175 writers, while extending writers’ activity periods and increasing their pay. Arts Council Korea

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Arts Council Korea (ARKO) announced on the 10th that they are recruiting 175 literary facilities to participate in the 2027 Literary Resident Writer Support Program. The application deadline is 3 p.m. on the 13th.

The program supports writers as they work in libraries, literary museums and bookstores, where they can write in a stable environment and run literary lectures, reading sessions and creative programs for local residents. It gives writers opportunities to create and find employment, while enabling residents to engage with literature in their daily lives.

Next year's program will support a record 175 facilities and 175 writers. For the first time, it will introduce a two-year support system for literary facilities. The measure is intended to ease the burden on facilities that previously had to apply each year and wait for the selection results, and to help them run ongoing literary programs in their communities.

Writers' working conditions will also improve. Their activity period will be extended from seven months to nine months, running from March through November, and monthly pay will increase to 2.55 million won, reflecting the average living wage. The operating budget for literary programs at each facility will also rise to 7 million won.

Measures have also been introduced to make the hiring process fairer. The document screening and interview processes will be standardized, and common evaluation criteria will be introduced. Training for interview panel members will also be made mandatory to bring consistency to hiring practices across facilities.

Libraries, literary museums and bookstores nationwide are eligible to apply, provided they can offer resident writers a creative workspace and run literary programs. Facilities can apply through the National Culture and Arts Support System. Writers seeking resident positions can apply through a separate online job fair to be held in January next year.

Lee Beom-heon, chair of Arts Council Korea, said, "This reform reflects the voices of those working in the field as our top priority and expands both the breadth and depth of support. We hope capable literary facilities across the country will work closely with resident writers to develop a diverse range of programs."

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