President Lee Jae Myung on Aug. 5 speaks at a briefing on the second-half business plans of the Ministry of Education, National Education Commission, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Korea Heritage Service at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Margareth Theresia

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to raise the scale of the Korean cultural market to KRW 400 trillion and lay the basis for the era of 40 million annual foreign visitors.

Minister Chae Hwi-young on Aug. 5 said this in presenting his ministry's key accomplishments in the first half of the year to President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, as well as a plan to make Korea an "irreplaceable cultural power" through culture, sports and tourism.

The number of foreign tourists from January through June was 10.71 million, up 21.3% year on year, thanks to expanded tourism marketing for smaller provincial cities.

The ministry announced progress in improving the cultural ecosystem like expanding Culture Day, when discounts or free tickets are given for cultural activities such as movies, performances, and entry to exhibitions and palaces, to every Wednesday instead of just the final Wednesday of every month.

It also reaffirmed the "arm's length" principle for artists to guarantee of freedom of expression and prevent the illegal distribution of content.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young on Aug. 6 attends this year's Dream Arts Troupe Joint Camp – Dream Festival at the Alpensia Music Tent in Pyeongchang-gun County, Gangwon-do Province.

Building on its achievements in the first half, the ministry pledged to focus on six key initiatives in the second.

The first task is to greatly expand the scale of the cultural industry. The idea is to raise the market's value to KRW 400 trillion to make the sector one of the country's top three for exports by raising financial and technological support and talent development.

To further advance Korean culture worldwide, the ministry will launch next year Fanomenon, a global Hallyu extravaganza focused on K-pop, and raise investment in the performing arts and independent content to strengthen the safety net for artistic creativity.

Tourism and provincial stimulation measures will also undergo a major overhaul. Expansion of infrastructure like airports, ports and accommodations and improvement of transportation and contactless payment systems will help reach the goal of 40 million foreign tourists per year.

The use of cultural, sports and tourism resources will also seek to revolutionize living conditions in the provinces.

Another plan is the development of "K-sports" enjoyed by all through innovation within the sports community and widening of the recreational sports base. The launch of a "K" brand reflecting national identity will help boost the country's global image.

Minister Chae said, "We will quickly pursue key initiatives to ensure that culture invigorates regions to achieve our vision of becoming an 'irreplaceable cultural power' where K-culture expands across the globe."

margareth@korea.kr