[Column] KOFIC vs. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Broken Dialogue... Now Cooperation Is the Answer

"The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's subsidy to the Korea Publishers Association for the Seoul International Book Fair remains zero this year as well."

At the New Year's press conference held on the 5th, Yoon Cheol-ho, president of the Publishers Association, criticized the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for suspending subsidy payments for two consecutive years, saying that it fails to properly evaluate the value of the book fair. On the surface, it appears that the Ministry has cut all support for the Seoul International Book Fair, but the underlying situation is complex.

Visitors are looking at books at the '2023 Seoul International Book Fair' held last June at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The conflict between the Ministry and the Publishers Association has continued since the launch of the integrated publishing distribution network in 2021. The Ministry invested several billion won to build the integrated network following requests from the Publishers Association and others. However, conflicts arose over who should operate it. The Ministry intended to entrust the operation rights to the Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency, while the Publishers Association insisted that a private organization like themselves should manage it. Subsequently, the Publishers Association developed and operated a similar system called the 'Book Sales Information Sharing System' on their own, leading to a wasteful competition between the public and private sectors. Initially, a Ministry official stated, "Once the system stabilizes, the operation rights will be transferred to the Publishers Association," but the Association opposed this, fearing policy changes due to regime shifts, which only deepened mistrust.

The annual subsidy the Ministry provided to the Publishers Association to support the Seoul International Book Fair was about 700 million won. Last year, the Ministry directly supported publishing companies participating in the book fair with 670 million won in subsidies, bypassing the Publishers Association. This was in response to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's investigation request on August 3, 2023, against Yoon Cheol-ho, president of the Publishers Association, and Joo Il-woo, representative of the Seoul International Book Fair, over missing revenue from the fair.

Both sides attempted dialogue to resolve the issue, but talks repeatedly failed. Following former Minister Park Bo-gyun, his successor Yoo In-chon also tried to initiate discussions, but internal opposition within the Publishers Association prevented progress. The Association maintains the stance of "support but no interference," but it is not easy for the Ministry to accept this unconditionally.

If the Publishers Association, representing the publishing industry, and the Ministry cooperate, many pending issues can be resolved. They can expand participation in overseas book fairs, which has been shrinking, thereby boosting K-book exports. Additionally, inefficiencies caused by overlapping investments in similar services can be reduced, and the exhausting legal battles can be stopped.

Now is the time for both sides to put aside their animosity and extend a hand. Minister Park Bo-gyun and Vice Minister Jeon Byung-guk, who had conflicts with the Publishers Association, have been replaced, and President Yoon Cheol-ho has one year left in his term. This is the perfect opportunity to redefine the relationship. Trust must be built by keeping even small promises. The Ministry should approach with flexibility, and the Publishers Association should seek practical cooperation measures. They should not fear disappointment again but rebuild trust from the beginning. This process will be transparently disclosed to the public.