'New Year Has Come, But...' Ministry of Culture and Publishing Association Still in Conflict

Yoon Cheol-ho, Chairman of the Publishing Association, "Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Fails to Execute Confirmed Budget"
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism "Investigation of Publishing Association Underway... Seeking Reasonable Alternatives"
June Seoul International Book Fair... Launch of Busan International Children's Book Fair

"The budget has not been cut. The National Assembly finalized the budget, but the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is refusing to provide it."

Although the new year has begun, the conflict between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Publishers Association (KPA) continues.

On the 16th, Yoon Cheol-ho, president of the KPA, stated at a New Year's press conference held at the KPA auditorium in Jongno-gu, Seoul, that the MCST is not executing even the finalized budget and that there is no sign of resolving the conflict.

Park Yong-su, executive director in charge of electronic publishing and policy at the KPA, explained that the government support budget for this year is 3.05 billion KRW. However, nearly 2.3 billion KRW of this remains unexecuted, including 670 million KRW related to the Seoul International Book Fair, 550 million KRW for operating the Korean pavilion at overseas book fairs, 1 billion KRW for the guest of honor country operations at overseas book fairs, and 60 million KRW for the overseas dissemination of Korean books.

President Yoon said, "Regarding this year's participation as the guest of honor country at overseas book fairs, we received official letters from the governments and publishing associations of Canada and Brazil and delivered them to the MCST last year." He added, "We need to proceed with the work, but when we asked because there was no response from the MCST, they said there is a 1 billion KRW budget approved by the National Assembly for the guest of honor country, but the MCST refuses to use it." He further stated, "Since the National Assembly approved it but the MCST refuses to provide it, it may be necessary to review whether this is legally valid."

[Photo by Korea Publishing Culture Association]

The MCST and the KPA have been in sharp conflict since last year. The conflict peaked when the MCST reported two KPA officials, including President Yoon Cheol-ho, to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, accusing the KPA of omitting profits from the Seoul International Book Fair, which received government subsidies in August last year. In October, the KPA countersued four MCST officials for defamation.

Executive Director Park Yong-su said, "Regarding the accounting controversy of the Seoul International Book Fair, the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit result was to redo the settlement, and we are currently redoing it." He explained, "The MCST claims that there were about 420 million KRW in profits from 2018 to 2022 and demands its return, but that is their claim based on their audit results. We are contesting that amount as inappropriate, and the final amount will be confirmed after coordination." However, he added that whether the final amount will be accepted is another matter.

President Yoon expressed frustration that communication with the MCST is not properly taking place. He said he requested a meeting shortly after the appointment of Minister Yoo In-chon in October last year but has yet to receive a response. Yoon lamented, "Minister Yoo In-chon meets with other cultural sectors but has not met with the publishing industry."

With the budget execution stalled, there is a possibility that the KPA's future projects may face setbacks. Regarding this, Ju Il-woo, director of the Seoul International Book Fair at the KPA, said, "Even if there is no budget, we will try to proceed with as many parts as possible." He added, "We are reviewing ways to operate on a reduced scale and plan to proceed by cutting events that are not essential."

This year, the KPA will hold the 66th Seoul International Book Fair from June 26 to 30 for five days at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The theme this year is 'Huinum,' derived from the name of the fourth country in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels.

Huinum is a country where words such as suspicion, distrust, lies, lust, intemperance, power, and war do not exist. The KPA explained that amid ongoing wars overseas and rising tensions in Northeast Asia, the book fair will be an opportunity to reflect on our situation and future.

The KPA also plans to hold the first Busan International Children's Book Fair from November 29 to December 1 at BEXCO in Busan. The KPA stated that it aims to make the Busan International Children's Book Fair a festival comparable to the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the MCST issued a press release explaining the conflict with the KPA, including support for the Seoul International Book Fair. The MCST stated, "The Seoul International Book Fair hosted by the KPA will be supported this year as in previous years in a way that benefits the publishing industry, such as exports. However, since an investigation is currently underway, it is difficult for the KPA to directly execute the budget, so we are seeking reasonable alternatives for execution."

Regarding participation as the guest of honor country at overseas book fairs, the MCST explained, "The MCST has decided on participation and countries by considering the characteristics of regions and markets and the status of the Korean publishing industry's advancement. This year, we plan to introduce Korean publishing and hold author exchange events throughout Paris, including bookstores, in conjunction with the Paris Summer Olympics to establish a foundation for Korean publishing's entry into Europe. The participation of Canada and Brazil as guest of honor countries, as claimed by the KPA, was a proposal by the KPA, and no concrete discussions have taken place."

The MCST emphasized, "The budget for international publishing exchange and overseas advancement increased by 1 billion KRW (14.7%) from 6.8 billion KRW in 2023 to 7.8 billion KRW in 2024. We will do our best to support the foundation for Korean publishing's overseas advancement."