[Lee Jong-gil's Autumn Return] A Country That Provides Unemployment Benefits to 'Hungry Artists'

Beomheon Lee "From Welfare for Artists to Enjoyment of Life"
Employment Insurance System Recognizes Performing Artists as Professionals…Social Welfare Services Provided Upon Membership Fee Payment

According to a survey on artists conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the average income of artists over the past year was 12.81 million KRW. More than 72.7%, far exceeding the majority, earned less than 12 million KRW. This means they earned less than 1 million KRW per month. In fact, 28.8% had no income at all. As a result, many artists are unable to fully devote themselves to their creative work and end up leaving the art world while juggling other jobs.

The harsh reality became a social issue following the news of the death of artist Choi Goeun. Her final memo shocked many: "Thank you so much for all the help you have given me so far. It’s embarrassing, but I haven’t been able to eat anything for days, so if you have any leftover rice or kimchi, please knock on my door."

After her death, the so-called 'Choi Goeun Act,' officially the 'Artist Welfare Act,' was enacted to pull artists out of the blind spots of the social security system. However, just five days after actor Kim Unha was found dead in a goshiwon (a small, cheap lodging), the same year actor Pan Youngjin ended his life due to poverty, showing that the situation for artists had not improved.

In "From Artist Welfare to Enjoyment of Life," written by Lee Beomheon, artistic labor is defined as "labor that produces social value." Artists are producers of public goods. Based on this, the author argues that artists’ poverty or low wages should be addressed not as a private matter but as a social issue.

"Artists have an actual employment relationship with the society they belong to. In our country, there is a tendency to dismiss artists’ labor as purely personal and not recognize it. They cannot enter the professional category or institutional systems. Consequently, they are inevitably excluded from various social security systems."

In France, it is rare for artists to give up art due to financial worries. France implemented the 'Intermittent' system in 1958. It is an employment insurance system for non-regular artists and technical workers in the performing arts sector. After finishing a project, the state provides unemployment benefits during a certain leave period until the next work begins. This is possible because artists are recognized as professionals.

The definition of 'unemployed status' is based on French labor law. However, the eligibility criteria and benefit levels for unemployment pay are determined through negotiation between employers and employees. Instead, artists must report their monthly earnings to the government and pay part of it as insurance premiums. The government calculates a standard income based on the reported amount and guarantees income when the artist has no earnings.

France also operates the 'Maison des Artistes' (House of Artists) for those working in the visual arts field. It started as a mutual aid association right after World War II and was officially recognized by the government in 1965 as an organization dedicated to artists’ social welfare. Artists pay a membership fee of less than 30 euros (about 39,000 KRW) per month and receive social welfare services such as medical care, childbirth, and childcare. By paying 18% of their income for a certain period, they can also receive a pension. They have free admission to all art galleries and museums in France and enjoy discounts when purchasing art supplies like paints.

These welfare benefits were made possible through social consensus. The public’s shared understanding that citizens enjoy the artistic achievements of artists has led to the current social status of artists.

It took over 100 years for this perception to improve in France. When the government tried to reduce the scale of the system citing financial deterioration, artists fought fiercely. They researched the negative effects that would occur if the Intermittent system disappeared and used this to directly persuade and promote the necessity of the system to the public. Ultimately, a national survey showed that 80% of French citizens supported maintaining the Intermittent system.

"From Artist Welfare to Enjoyment of Life" calls for continuous public discourse and struggle by artists themselves, as demonstrated by French artists. While government legislation is important, without national consensus on culture and arts as public goods and a change in artists’ own awareness of 'workers’ rights,' it is impossible to escape the current structural contradictions and poor conditions.

"This is not a fight for the individual rights of artists. It is a struggle to return culture and arts enjoyment back to the people."