President Lee Jae-myung Orders Support Measures for Pure Culture and Arts

President Lee Presides Over Senior Secretary Meeting on the 13th

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Senior Secretary Meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung instructed his senior secretaries on the 13th to "establish support measures for the field of pure culture and arts." In particular, President Lee emphasized, "Seek ways to support literature, including the publishing sector."

Kim Namjun, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, conveyed at a briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that President Lee had given these instructions during the Senior Secretary Meeting. Spokesperson Kim explained, "An analysis of the average annual growth rate of the culture and arts budget shows that under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, it decreased by 1.1%," adding, "President Lee's directive also reflects that support for pure arts is insufficient and that there are numerous issues in the sector."

Additionally, President Lee pointed out during the meeting that "the disappearance of neighborhood bookstores is a serious problem," and instructed the administration to prepare support measures for the publishing industry. He also ordered officials to explore ways for overseas diplomatic missions to comprehensively manage culture-related policies and work. Furthermore, spokesperson Kim stated that President Lee directed a full survey of the status of overseas branches of public enterprises to improve the efficiency of cultural work abroad.

Spokesperson Kim stressed, "The Lee Jae-myung administration will focus government capabilities on resolving the issues that affect people's livelihoods in line with public sentiment," and added, "Among the future growth engines, the Presidential Office is paying special attention to K-culture and the cultural industry." He further explained, "The Presidential Office has designated this week as K-culture week and plans to review various cultural policies and the current status of the sector."