The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the "Second Basic Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Diversity (2025-2028)" on October 31. This basic plan was established to spread cultural diversity as a value that all citizens can experience in their daily lives and to lay a cultural foundation for sustainable development.
South Korea signed the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in 2010 and enacted the "Act on the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Diversity" in 2014, promoting a variety of initiatives centered on the state and local governments to enhance cultural diversity. This basic plan follows the First Basic Plan (2021-2024) and was developed to address contemporary demands such as alleviating social conflict, achieving balanced regional development, and realizing an inclusive culture in the era of digital transformation.
The second basic plan presents the vision of "An Inclusive Society Built Together, a Creative Nation Growing Through Cultural Diversity," and establishes three main strategies: coexistence between cultures that resonates with the public, expansion of cultural assets that lead new cultures, and the creation of a sustainable ecosystem for cultural diversity.
Hwee-Young Choi, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]
The Ministry plans to expand national consensus and strengthen social inclusion programs so that the value of cultural diversity can be embedded in everyday life. It will select "cultural diversity hub cities" (tentative name), expand regional cultural diversity week events, and operate year-round participatory programs to spread the concept and value of cultural diversity nationwide.
Participatory cultural and artistic exchange programs will be operated in museums, art galleries, and libraries, where migrants and citizens can interact. In addition, "multicultural kits" will be distributed at multicultural education centers to help migrants enhance their sensitivity to various cultures, thereby expanding opportunities for cultural enjoyment through cultural facilities.
The plan also includes programs to strengthen teacher competencies for more effective Korean language education for migrants, support for obtaining tourist interpretation guide licenses, and other initiatives to help migrants actively participate in society as members of the community. Through the operation of "mobile cultural diversity classrooms" and support for curriculum research on cultural diversity for teachers, the values of solidarity and coexistence will be put into practice in the field.
The Ministry will focus on supporting the spread of daily Hanbok-wearing culture, the development of Hanji-based cultural products, and the discovery of artistic works, fostering Hanbok and Hanji as representative fields of traditional culture and nurturing them as cultural assets that are the foundation of diversity and sources of creativity.
Support for the creation and distribution of independent art films, indie games, and diverse comics will continue to expand the diversity of cultural expression in content. The Ministry will also broaden the inclusive cultural and artistic foundation by providing step-by-step support for the creative and production processes and the presentation of works by aspiring artists and artists with disabilities.
Research will be conducted to explore ways to build and utilize artificial intelligence (AI) training data for uniquely Korean art fields such as traditional music, traditional dance, and folk painting, thereby supporting innovation and expansion in the cultural and artistic ecosystem.
Cultural and arts centers across the country will be supported in producing and performing specialized content utilizing their region's unique cultural resources. The Ministry will also create culture-leading industrial complexes and refurbish idle regional spaces into cultural facilities, thereby creating vibrant regions infused with culture.
The Ministry will take the lead in intergovernmental committee activities to implement the Convention on Cultural Diversity and, on the occasion of hosting Korea's first UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2026, will spearhead discourse on the protection of UNESCO's world cultural and natural heritage.
The Ministry will develop a cultural diversity index and introduce a "Cultural Diversity Certification System" to identify and certify exemplary cases, thereby promoting cultural diversity activities in both the public and private sectors. By supporting the enactment of cultural diversity ordinances and strengthening policy linkages between central and local governments, the sustainability of the cultural diversity ecosystem will be enhanced.
Minister Hwee-Young Choi stated, "K-culture, including K-pop, film, drama, and literature, contributes to global cultural diversity as content that combines the uniqueness and originality of Korean culture with the universality shared by humanity." He added, "We will meticulously implement this plan so that the Republic of Korea can embrace one another and unite with the world as a cultural powerhouse, empowered by the heightened strength of its culture."
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