Representative Proposal for Amendment to the Moonjin Act to Establish the CT Institute
"Culture and Arts + Cutting-edge Technology = Maximizing Future Industrial Competitiveness"
Min Hyungbae, Member of the National Assembly.
A bill has been proposed to establish the Korea Culture Technology Institute (hereinafter referred to as the CT Institute), which will research and develop culture technology?a core sector for the future of the K-content industry.
Min Hyungbae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Gwangsan-eul in Gwangju, announced on April 21 that he had introduced an amendment to the Framework Act on the Promotion of Cultural Industries (commonly known as the Moonjin Act) to provide the legal basis for the establishment of the CT Institute as a control tower for culture technology research and development.
The cultural content industry is a future core industry with high growth potential, added value, and job creation effects. However, while other fields such as information technology (IT), biotechnology (BT), nanotechnology (NT), environmental technology (ET), and aerospace technology (ST) each have their own specialized institutions, there is currently no dedicated research institute for culture technology.
The establishment of the CT Institute has been in progress since the Roh Moo-hyun administration and was included in the 2007 Comprehensive Plan for the Development of the Asian Culture Hub City. However, progress has stalled for 18 years after the Lee Myungbak and Park Geunhye administrations took office. During the Lee Myungbak administration, the plan was abandoned due to the consolidation of state-funded research institutes. Under the Park Geunhye administration, only a nominal CT Research Center?not a full-fledged CT Institute?was maintained, leading to the current situation. As a result, the CT Research Center has failed to fulfill its role as a dedicated institution due to insufficient funding and unprofessional management.
Min Hyungbae stated, "As we can see from the recent 'Ghibli meme' craze, when culture and art are combined with cutting-edge technology, it enhances future industrial competitiveness and maximizes synergy. Although it is late, establishing the CT Institute in Gwangju?an institution that will be a core pillar for the future of the K-content industry?is now urgent."
Meanwhile, the amendment to the Moonjin Act proposed by Min Hyungbae is a follow-up measure to the policy forum on the establishment of the Korea Culture Technology Institute, which was held at the National Assembly on April 1. All eight National Assembly members representing the Gwangju area participated as co-hosts at the forum.
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