Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young on Dec. 16 announces his ministry's main business plan for 2026 at Government Complex-Sejong in Sejong. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
By Lee Jihae
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has released a blueprint on turning cultural content into a core engine of future growth.
This comprehensive strategy seeks to go beyond content to cover food, beauty, fashion and tourism in a bid to expand the scope of the sector and usher in the era of 30 million tourists per year more quickly.
The ministry on Dec. 16 announced this at the Government Sejong Convention Center in Sejong while presenting its main business plan for 2026 under the vision "K-Culture: Enjoyed by All Citizens and Embracing the World."
The plan's four main tasks are development of culture as a major engine of future growth, formation of a strong basis for turning the nation into a cultural superpower, earlier-than-scheduled attraction of 30 million tourists per year, and trusted sports and a healthy populace.
To make culture a leading industry for future growth, a customized development strategy will target cultural and creative industries like cinema, gaming and pop music. Financial assistance for mid-budget films will rise to KRW 20 billion and support for global joint productions will seek to expand advances overseas.
Given surging demand for K-pop events, the ministry will help improve performance venues at multipurpose sports facilities. Over the long term, a domed stadium with a capacity of 50,000 spectators will be built.
The expansion of King Sejong Institutes abroad seeks to meet growing demand for Korean-language education. The platform i-King Sejong Institute, which utilizes AI to provide personalized lessons, will undergo pilot operations next year.
To ensure a firm basis for Korea's rise as a cultural superpower, more support will go toward the welfare of artists including a fund to allow them to focus on their crafts without having to worry about their livelihoods, grants for art activity preparation, and loans for living expenses and housing rental deposits.
Another goal is to move up the target of 30 million foreign visitors per year through the setup of regional hubs for inbound tourism and higher overall travel convenience including arrival to and departure from Korea, payments and transportation. To attract more tourists, the quality of accommodations will be raised and tourism products such medical care, beauty, MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) and K-pop will undergo more aggressive development.
In sports, stronger support will go to athletes competing in international tournaments and efforts will continue to eradicate violence in sports and reform related organizations. Other measures include the expansion of branches of the National Fitness Certification Center, nationwide sports centers and customized programs by age to stimulate recreational sports.
jihlee08@korea.kr