2025 Key Initiatives of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Establishment of a 100 Billion Won Global League Fund... A New Era for Hallyu
Expansion of Culture Industry Guarantees to 220 Billion Won... Easing Content Production Burdens
Establishment of a Graduate School of Translation for the Internationalization of Korean Literature
The government plans to implement a total of 1 trillion won in livelihood support measures in the culture, tourism, and sports sectors in 2025, while simultaneously establishing a future strategy for the content industry to prepare for the AI era. The vision is to promote economic recovery through culture and secure future growth engines at the same time.
On the 10th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced its major work plan for 2025 based on the vision of "Culture for All, a Cultural Power Connecting the World." This plan focuses on five key tasks: recovery of the livelihood economy, balanced regional development, fostering content, tourism, and sports industries, future-oriented cultural policies, and strengthening global exchanges.
The ministry will implement a special loan program worth 50 billion won for tourism operators affected by the economic downturn, aimed at small business owners and micro-enterprises struggling due to the recession. Additionally, financial support measures include loans worth 536.5 billion won for tourism businesses, 100 billion won in interest subsidies, and 70 billion won in credit guarantees.
The integrated cultural voucher (Munhwa Nuri Card), a cultural voucher for vulnerable groups, will be increased from 130,000 won to 140,000 won, and the youth sports lesson voucher will be raised from 100,000 won to 105,000 won per month. Furthermore, to revitalize domestic tourism, one million accommodation discount coupons will be distributed, and 150,000 participants will be encouraged through the worker vacation support program.
Investment to secure future growth engines will also be significantly expanded. To promote the global market entry of K-contents, a 100 billion won 'Global League Fund' will be newly established, and a 500 billion won K-contents and media fund will be actively operated. In particular, in preparation for the AI era, revisions to the Copyright Act and the enactment of the Publicity Rights Act will be pursued to protect creators and promote the industry.
Sebyeonggwan in Tongyeong City, selected as a cultural city of the Republic of Korea. [Photo by Tongyeong City]
Policies to reduce regional cultural disparities are also notable. The ministry will actively develop 13 "Korea Cultural Cities" utilizing unique regional cultural assets and expand the nurturing of regional representative arts organizations. Four national youth arts groups will be newly established in traditional performance arts and theater, and regional cultural facilities such as the National Chungju Museum and Paju Museum Cluster will be expanded. Additionally, 7.5 billion won will be invested to create regional sports brands.
The institutional foundation for promoting Hallyu (Korean Wave) will be strengthened. In the first half of the year, the existing 'K-Contents Export Council' will be expanded and reorganized into the 'Hallyu Policy Council,' and the establishment of a graduate school of translation for the globalization of Korean literature will be pursued. In June, a large-scale Hallyu event, 'Beyond K Festa,' will be held to support the co-growth of the Hallyu industry.
In the tourism industry, safety campaigns utilizing the Tourism Interpretation Guide 1330 will be expanded, and convenience for tourists will be improved by extending the temporary exemption of K-ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) for some countries. Additionally, a K-tourism roadshow covering 20 major overseas cities will be intensively promoted in the first half of the year. To secure global competitiveness in the sports industry, a 10 billion won export-oriented strategic fund and a 42.8 billion won sports industry fund will be supported concurrently.
The ministry is establishing a 'Future Strategy for the Content Industry in the AI Era' as a proactive measure and is pushing for revisions to the Copyright Act and the enactment of the Publicity Rights Act to protect creators' rights.
This year, historical anniversaries such as the 80th anniversary of Liberation and the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan normalization of diplomatic relations will be highlighted through cultural events, with cultural and artistic programs and exhibitions prepared for each major anniversary.
‘K-Art’ including performance, fine arts, and literature will be nurtured and overseas market development will be pursued. Korea will host sector-specific festivals such as the Korea Performance Festival (October, 3.02 billion won) and the Korea Art Festival (September, 833 million won) to cultivate Korean culture and arts. The tentative 'Beyond K Festa' will be held in June, and the existing 'K-Contents Export Council' will be reorganized into the tentative 'Hallyu Policy Council' to promote the Hallyu industry.
Furthermore, the establishment of a graduate school of translation will be pursued to internationally spread Korean literature, and video content based on Korean cuisine and traditional culture will be produced and distributed to major overseas broadcasting and OTT platforms.
Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "Despite difficult conditions, we will vigorously promote policies in culture, sports, and tourism so that all citizens can enjoy culture in their daily lives and the livelihood economy can recover early." He added, "Especially, taking advantage of the 80th anniversary of Liberation, the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan normalization of diplomatic relations, and the APEC summit, we will create a new future through culture and fulfill our role in connecting the world."
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