Minister Yoon In-chon: "Additional Announcement of Regional Relocation of Arts Organizations Within 1-2 Weeks"

Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated that additional plans for relocating national art organizations to provincial areas could be announced within the next one to two weeks. This follows the Seoul Arts Troupe, which has already announced its move to Gwangju next year, and Yoo indicated that a second national art organization’s relocation plan might be revealed soon.

On the 21st, after concluding the production presentation of the Korea-Canada co-produced original musical 'Link' in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Minister Yoo met with reporters to share his thoughts on the ongoing plans by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) to relocate national art organizations to provincial areas and the controversies surrounding these plans.

The MCST plans to relocate, in the long term, national art organizations currently based at the Seoul Arts Center, including the National Ballet Company, National Opera Company, National Symphony Orchestra, National Contemporary Dance Company, and the National Contemporary Dance Company, as well as the National Theater Company, which is moving to the National Theater in Jangchung-dong at the end of this month. The first step is to relocate the Seoul Arts Troupe to Gwangju, where the National Asia Culture Center (ACC) is located, next year.

Minister Yoo explained, "Because the government already has the ACC facility, meaning the space is secured, we can send the Seoul Arts Troupe there." He added, "To relocate other national art organizations to provincial areas, we must first secure performance halls, rehearsal spaces, and offices, and negotiate with local governments that will provide these facilities." He also hinted that discussions with some local governments have progressed considerably and said that additional plans for relocating art organizations to provincial areas could be announced within one to two weeks. Yoo explained that if agreements are reached, the local governments providing the facilities and the government will share the costs equally to operate the national art organizations."

Minister Yoo also revealed plans to expand the resident troupes at the Seoul Arts Center once the national art organizations currently based there relocate to provincial areas.

"If it is a theater the size of the Seoul Arts Center, it should naturally operate resident troupes like the National Theater," he emphasized. Currently, the National Theater has three resident troupes: the National Changgeuk Company, National Dance Company, and National Gugak Orchestra. However, the Seoul Arts Center does not have any resident troupes.

Minister Yoo pointed out that relying on rental performances without resident troupes at the Seoul Arts Center is problematic and stressed that operating resident troupes would allow the center to present performances with its own unique character.

He also mentioned that establishing resident troupes would create job opportunities for young artists. "Even if young people want to join national art organizations, there are no opportunities because existing members hold their positions until retirement. Creating resident troupes means creating more jobs."

Regarding criticism that, for balanced cultural development, national art organizations located in the metropolitan area should not be sent to provinces but rather art organizations should be nurtured in the provinces, Yoo responded, "That is a statement that shows a lack of understanding of reality."

He explained that talented young artists all come to Seoul, so when you go to the provinces, there are no people. He added that the reason there are no artists in the provinces is that there are no art organizations there.

Minister Yoo said, "The only places where there are still people are metropolitan cities," and added, "There are almost no cities or counties with art organizations. For now, we have to send people down from Seoul and mix them in."