"Local Government-Owned Artworks Also Considered Public Artworks"... Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Expands Public Art Bank Project

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to Discuss Public Art Management Plans at 3 p.m. on the 20th
Category of Public Artworks Expanded Following Enactment of the Art Promotion Act
Scope Extended from National Agencies to Public Institutions
Public Artworks Still Classified as "Goods"
Seeking Classification as "National Property" to Reflect Value Appreciation

On the 20th at 3 p.m., the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it will hold a seminar titled "Art Policy Stories at 3 p.m." in the seminar room of Modoo Art Space, Annex of Seoul Square, to discuss the "Reorganization of the Public Art Management System and Operation Plan of the Public Art Bank."

Yoon In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This discussion aims to expand the category of public artworks to include artworks owned by public institutions following the enactment of the "Art Promotion Act" in July last year. Until now, public artworks were limited to those owned by national agencies, but with the enactment of the Art Promotion Act, the scope has been expanded to local governments and public institutions. Furthermore, the Act provides a legal basis for the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to designate specialized institutions to manage public artworks and to establish public art banks within these institutions.

During the seminar, the functions of the Government Art Bank, previously operated by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, will be reviewed, and possibilities for expanding projects and services utilizing public artworks will be explored. Professor Kim Hyun-kyung from the Department of National Heritage Management at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage will present, sharing major domestic and international cases of public art bank operations and proposing operational methods, key roles, functions, and directions for development of public art banks.

Issues related to the legal framework concerning artworks will also be examined. Under the current system, artworks are managed as "goods" rather than "national property," which has been criticized for failing to reflect the characteristic of artworks whose value appreciates over time. Professor Hwang Seung-heum from the Department of Law at Kookmin University will deliver the second presentation, proposing the concept of "national artworks" and suggesting problems and the need for reform based on an analysis of the current legal framework.

Additionally, exhibition plans to promote Korean art and artists will be discussed. Active discussions will be held on utilizing multi-use spaces such as public building lobbies and government offices, as well as lending public artworks to regional exhibition spaces to address cultural disparities among regions.

Shin Eun-hyang, Director of Art Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "The enactment of the 'Art Promotion Act' has provided an opportunity to comprehensively reexamine the management system of artworks, including government-owned artworks." She added, "We will ensure that public artworks are diversely utilized in both public and private sectors centered around the public art bank."