Culture Ministry to Distribute 2.1 Million Arts Discount Vouchers: 10,000 Won Off Performances, 3,000 Won Off Exhibitions

Distribution Begins at 10 a.m. on August 8, First-Come, First-Served
Up to Two Applications Per Person at Each of Five Ticketing Platforms

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on August 7 that, in cooperation with the Arts Management Support Center and the Arts Council Korea, it will distribute a total of 2.1 million discount vouchers for performances and exhibitions starting August 8. This initiative aims to expand public access to culture and arts and to stimulate cultural consumption. The voucher program is funded by a 10 billion KRW supplementary budget from the new government's second supplementary budget for 2025, intended to support economic recovery.

A total of 500,000 performance vouchers and 1.6 million exhibition vouchers will be distributed. Any citizen can apply for up to two vouchers per person on a first-come, first-served basis at five online ticketing platforms: Nol Ticket, Melon Ticket, Time Ticket, Ticket Link, and Yes24. Applications can be made online from 10:00 a.m. on August 8 until 11:59 p.m. on September 19, for approximately six weeks. Distribution will end once all vouchers have been issued.

Each performance voucher is worth 10,000 KRW, and each exhibition voucher is worth 3,000 KRW. To minimize no-shows and cancellations, a minimum payment amount will be applied. For performances, the total payment must be at least 15,000 KRW, and for exhibitions, at least 5,000 KRW, for the voucher to be used. Only one voucher can be used per transaction (up to two per ticketing platform), so even if the ticket price is lower than the voucher value, multiple tickets can be purchased to meet the minimum payment requirement and use the voucher.

For example, if a performance ticket costs 8,000 KRW, the voucher cannot be used for a single ticket. However, if two tickets are purchased for a total of 16,000 KRW, which exceeds the minimum payment of 15,000 KRW, the voucher can be applied.

The issued vouchers must be used by the end of the distribution period on September 19, and can only be applied to performances and exhibitions scheduled to take place by November 30. Eligible performance categories include plays, musicals, Western music (classical), Korean music (gugak), dance, and multidisciplinary works. Popular music and popular dance are excluded.

For exhibitions, the vouchers can be used for visual arts exhibitions held at national, public, and private art museums and various exhibition spaces nationwide, as well as at art fairs and biennales. They cannot be used for industrial expos or trade shows. If there are unused vouchers, the government plans to distribute additional vouchers in October.

At Time Ticket, one of the five online ticketing platforms, an additional two vouchers (for a total of four) will be issued exclusively for performances and exhibitions held outside the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon metropolitan area. This is intended to expand cultural access for local residents and to revitalize regional performances and exhibitions. The other four platforms will also begin issuing these regional vouchers once their systems are ready.

To improve accessibility for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities, a comprehensive telephone information service will be operated. Voucher issuance will also be supported through the telephone reservation systems operated by the online ticketing platforms. In particular, 10,000 performance vouchers will be distributed separately to Modu Arts Theater, a venue for performances by artists with disabilities, and will be integrated with the theater's reservation system to ensure convenient use.

Minister Choi Hwi-young stated, "We expect that these performance and exhibition vouchers will provide everyone with more opportunities to enjoy culture and the arts in daily life, while also revitalizing regional performance and exhibition venues. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to expand the foundation for cultural enjoyment for all citizens and actively support the revitalization of local culture and the arts."