Seoul City Provides 5 Billion KRW Emergency Support to Culture and Arts Sector Hit Hard by COVID-19

Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture Provides Up to 20 Million KRW for Over 500 Creative Activities
Sejong Center Streams 12 Canceled Performances Online
Disaster Emergency Living Expenses and Employment Retention Support Also Offered to Artists

On January 30, when the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was spreading, quarantine officials were conducting disinfection work at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to inject a supplementary budget totaling 5 billion KRW to urgently support the cultural and artistic sectors hit hard by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 5th, Seoul announced that it will support up to 500 creative activities with a maximum of 20 million KRW each through the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture for artists and art organizations who have suffered direct or indirect damage due to COVID-19. Applications are open to artists, art organizations, and planners who reside or have studios in Seoul, and submissions can be made via the National Culture and Arts Support System (NCAS) by 5 PM on the 17th.

For art educators, a total of 130 projects will be selected for 'art education research activities' and 'online art education content production and distribution,' with support of up to 10 million KRW each. For cultural art planners, proposals such as research, forums, and planning documents will be accepted until the 20th for the 'Emergency Support for Artists' Cultural Planning Activities,' providing 2 million KRW each to approximately 120 selected individuals.

Since these projects are emergency supports for artists facing difficulties due to COVID-19, priority will be given to artists who are not beneficiaries of other Seoul city-supported projects this year. Selected artists (or groups) will produce online content (videos) or present their works offline later, depending on the nature of the work. Detailed information on each support project can be found on the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture website.

At Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, 12 performances including concerts, operas, and plays canceled due to COVID-19 will be selected and supported with up to 30 million KRW each to produce no-audience online performances, which will be live-streamed on Naver TV. Performance titles and live broadcast schedules can be checked on the Sejong Center website.

Seoul will also provide emergency living expenses to artists facing direct livelihood difficulties due to COVID-19, and offer employment retention subsidies and loan support to small-scale art enterprises and organizations struggling due to cancellations or postponements of performances or artistic activities.

Additionally, approximately 500 million KRW in rental fees for 203 public cultural facilities will be refunded or reduced, and about 800 million KRW in rent reductions will be provided for 37 public cultural facility tenant stores experiencing operational difficulties.

The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will prioritize payment of 3 million KRW activity funds to about 550 selected artists (or groups) from the '2020 Art Creation Support Project' announced last February to ensure stable creative activities, and if project implementation is difficult within this year, the project period will be extended until June 30 next year.

According to data from the Korea Performing Arts Integrated System (KOPIS), nationwide sales in the performing arts sector, which were about 40 billion KRW in January this year, plummeted to 9 billion KRW in March. A COVID-19 damage survey conducted by the Korea Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations revealed that a total of 1,614 cultural events were canceled or postponed from January to April this year, and 88.7% of artists reported a decrease in income.

Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, said, "Emergency support for the cultural and artistic sectors is open to any artist facing livelihood difficulties due to event cancellations or postponements caused by COVID-19," adding, "We will do our best to support the creative activities of artists suddenly facing hardships and provide citizens, who are spending more time indoors due to social distancing, with opportunities to enjoy diverse cultural arts."