[The Editors' Verdict] K-Culture Now Needs the Art of Support

Lee Jaemyung's All-Out Pledge to Support K-Culture
Execution and Sustainability Are Key to Realization
The Government Must Become a 'Co-Planner' with Creators

Kwangho Lee, Head of Culture and Sports Team.

"We will become a cultural powerhouse and one of the global top 5 soft power nations." The cultural and arts pledge recently announced by Lee Jae-myung, former leader and presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, draws attention with its bold figures and clear direction. He declared full support for the global market expansion of K-culture as a whole, including K-food, K-beauty, K-pop, K-drama, and K-webtoon, and presented a concrete vision to expand the cultural industry market size to 300 trillion won and cultural exports to 50 trillion won by 2030.

Lee’s plan reflects a determination to shift the K-culture growth model, which has so far relied on private sector leadership and some star content, to a more systematic and publicly led approach. It includes strengthening national support for the entire creative process, fostering content platforms, expanding production infrastructure such as virtual studios, cultural and artistic research and development (R&D), and various policy measures like tax benefits. Notably, the inclusion of the webtoon industry as a major industrial category to actively support its global expansion is worth attention.

However, the real challenge lies beyond that. The political sphere has repeatedly proclaimed the goal of becoming a "cultural powerhouse" and issued countless large and small pledges. Yet, the reality felt by cultural artists has not significantly changed. There remains a large gap in the process of turning pledges into policies and policies into execution. Ultimately, what matters is not just making pledges but having the systems, execution capability, and above all, the sustainable will of the government to realize them.

Today, K-culture functions not merely as a trend or cultural product but as an economic and diplomatic asset of the nation. Content exports not only generate revenue but also enhance Korea’s national image, expand brand value, and strengthen soft power in the global community. This is the "economization of culture" and the "culturalization of diplomacy." However, such potential can only be realized when creators have a stable foundation to focus on their creative work.

Lee has also proposed measures addressing the entire creative ecosystem, including support for creative expenses and spaces, promotion of the humanities, and responses to illegal distribution. This can be interpreted as an attempt to protect cultural diversity and creativity beyond an industrial perspective. However, to implement these, challenges such as securing finances, expertise of executing bodies, and actualizing public-private cooperation must be addressed.

Moreover, K-culture now faces fierce global competition. Over-the-top (OTT) platforms accelerate borderless content competition, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based translation and generation technologies challenge cultural uniqueness. For the continued success of K-culture, mere export support is insufficient. Sophisticated policies encompassing content planning capabilities, industrial structure, platform dominance, and localization strategies are necessary.

The role of politics must no longer be limited to discussing "possibilities." The government must become a "co-planner" that designs and implements an ecosystem where creators and industries can grow together. Instead of short-term, performance-centered budget allocations or one-off project support, long-term policy perspectives and institutional backing are urgently needed. Becoming a cultural powerhouse is not achieved by declaration alone. The outcome depends on who supports it, how long, and how meticulously.