Culture Minister Yu In-chon said he will formulate a long-term overseas promotional strategy to boost the global popularity of Korean culture.Long-term planning invariably means a bigger budget in promoting Korean culture. He said the plan is on the drawing board, adding that the action program will eventuate early next year.
The Korea Festival, titled ``Made In Korea'' has been underway at Belgium's Centre for Fine Arts (Palais des Beaux-Arts) in Brussels, the largest art center in the country. It will continue until the end of February, ending a five-month run. A similar event will be held in Petit Palais, Paris in 2010.
The minister of culture, sports and tourism said the event is gaining huge popularity in Brussels because it shows the essence of Korean culture ― not only traditional culture, but also food, fashion and other things. He added preparations took two years.
He said the comprehensive Korean cultural promotion policies would be completed by 2012.
Popular Culture
As a former actor who has been active both on stage and on the small screen, the minister said he would push for more aggressive policies to promote the culture.
To support the domestic popular cultural industry, he will establish an exclusive concert hall for pop singers only.The government is considering two candidate venues to be remodeled as a pop singers' exclusive hall with 3,000 seats ― the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park and Jangchung Gymnasium.
This year, this system will be applied to musicals and plays. Writers and composers will be encouraged to submit works, among which the top prizewinner will receive 20 million won and two runner-ups 10 million each. Six contestants will receive funding to showcase their works (3 million won for plays and 5 million won for musicals). The promotion of regular auditions is also expected to revamp the competitiveness of the national organizations.
The government will continue to support thespians to make good performances for one or two years. The national theaters should create their own works.
Currently, Yu, a former thespian himself, said not only plays and musicals but also other fine arts need state support. ``Artists, whatever the genre is, always have a hard time. So the government should increase the support in building up the infrastructure and creativity works,'' he said.
The ministry will put 255 billion won in building and supporting 485 public gymnasiums nationwide this year.
The ministry will also cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development to improve the physical education environment at schools to make students exercise better and more.
For more detail
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr
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