"Finding a Candidate for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Is Not Easy... I Hope You Will Also Think About It"
Park Chunhyo, Writer of 'Maybe Happy Ending,' and Kim Wonseok, Director of 'Thank You for the Hard Work,' Attend
President Lee Jaemyung mentioned the need to introduce a 'basic income' for cultural and artistic professionals during a meeting with figures from the culture and arts sector. The basic income for cultural and artistic professionals was a pledge proposed by President Lee during the 2022 presidential election. Although it was omitted from his most recent campaign pledges, it appears that he still intends to pursue it.
On June 30, President Lee invited cultural and arts figures to a conversation held at the 'Pine Grass' lawn in front of the presidential office in Yongsan. According to spokesperson Kang Yoojeong, President Lee stated, "Culture plays a role in elevating the level of our society," and made these remarks during the meeting.
Spokesperson Kang said, "(President Lee) mentioned that, because the cultural sector is so diverse, it is not easy to set priorities for cultural policy or to find a suitable candidate for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He emphasized that, instead of bureaucratic discussions, policies that truly reflect the needs of the recipients must be identified and implemented without reservation."
On this day, President Lee, together with First Lady Kim Hyekyung, held a 'Meeting with Award Winners from the Culture and Arts Sector' and discussed the development of the cultural content industry. Attendees included Park Chunhyo, writer of the musical 'Maybe Happy Ending,' which won six Tony Awards; Kim Wonseok, director of the drama 'Thank You for the Hard Work'; Heo Gayoung, director who won first prize in La Cinef at the Cannes Film Festival for the short and medium-length film 'First Summer'; soprano Jo Sumi; and ballerino Park Yoonjae.
President Lee expressed his intention to expand support for becoming a cultural powerhouse by quoting Kim Gu. President Lee said, "(Kim Gu reportedly said) 'My wish is for our country to become one with truly strong cultural power.' I believe we are now at the starting point of entering the path toward the cultural powerhouse that Kim Gu envisioned."
President Lee went on to say, "From a national policy perspective, we need to greatly increase investment and support for the cultural sector, provide opportunities for the younger generation, develop this into an industry, and expand globally to strengthen Korea's cultural influence. If we do this, we can become a global powerhouse and a leading nation." He added with a laugh, "I have not been able to appoint a Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism yet. It is difficult to find someone who can do all of this, so I hope you will also think about it."
President Lee also mentioned the drama 'Thank You for the Hard Work,' saying, "While I was thinking about how to create livelihoods, I binge-watched 'Thank You for the Hard Work' over the weekend and was surprised. I thought that if we develop dramas as an industry, it could become an opportunity to showcase Korea to the world." During the presidential campaign, President Lee made headlines when he said that he cried after watching 'Thank You for the Hard Work.' President Lee said, "I wondered whether global audiences could relate to issues like in-law conflicts and the patriarchal culture of male dominance depicted in the drama, even though we can relate to them. But I was impressed by the tremendous empathy it received, including positive responses from South America and Europe."
Meanwhile, regarding questions about the nomination of a new Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, spokesperson Kang said, "We have a strong will and plan to make Korea one of the world's top five cultural powerhouses and to achieve tangible industrial results as a form of soft power. Because of this, we are being very careful and thoughtful in making the appointment." She added, "I understand that we are considering a diverse pool of candidates."
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