Ministry of Culture Holds Awards Ceremony for the 12th Munhwa Nuri Card Essay Contest

At Post Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, on November 12

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Arts Council Korea, will hold the awards ceremony for the 12th Integrated Culture Voucher (Munhwa Nuri Card) Essay Contest at 2 p.m. on November 12 at Post Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The Munhwa Nuri Card program supports cultural, artistic, travel, and sports activities for basic livelihood security recipients aged six and older, near-poverty groups, and low-income single-parent families. This year, a total of 369.6 billion won (258.7 billion won from the national budget and 110.9 billion won from local budgets) has been allocated to provide 140,000 won per year to 2.64 million people.

The Ministry has been holding this annual contest to encourage people to share and talk about their genuine and diverse cultural experiences and memories gained through the Munhwa Nuri Card. This year, the contest was divided into two categories: card users and program administrators, and a total of 849 essays were submitted.

Following evaluations by internal and external judges, 30 winners were selected, including two Grand Prize winners (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award) and four Excellence Award winners (Arts Council Korea Chairperson Award). Starting this year, to further promote the Munhwa Nuri Card essays and express gratitude to participants, 50 additional Participation Awards will be presented.

The Grand Prize in the user category went to "Munhwa Nuri, the Key to Finding My Small but Certain Happiness," which described how the card enabled the winner to create precious memories with family. The essay shared how cultural activities once seemed out of reach, but through the Munhwa Nuri Card, the author came to cherish time spent with their mother and younger sibling and learned to love "small but certain happiness." In the administrator category, the Grand Prize was awarded to "The Bluebird Exists!"-a heartfelt account from a public servant at a community welfare center. The essay humorously recounted the administrator’s experiences visiting seniors with a suitcase packed with handmade Munhwa Nuri Card promotional booklets and guiding them on how to use the card. The winner expressed hope that the small blue plastic card would become a bluebird of happiness and hope for many.

In the user category, the Excellence Awards went to two essays: "You Are My Genie!"-in which the author began writing a diary to remember the joy of showing three children new worlds through storybooks and performances made possible by the Munhwa Nuri Card; and "My Little Paradise, Munhwa Nuri Card," which recounted the moment the author first purchased a book with a card given by their mother and, after watching a movie premiere of a respected actor, resolved to become someone who could inspire others in the same way.

In the administrator category, the Excellence Awards were given to two essays: "With Nuri, To Enjoy Nuri," which highlighted the passion of a local program manager who helped seniors make full use of the card through initiatives like "Nuri Market," "Nuri Outings," and "Nuri Delivery"; and "Dreams Continued with the Munhwa Nuri Card," which told the warm story of a taekwondo instructor who, rather than ignoring a student forced to quit due to family circumstances, helped the student continue pursuing their dream with the support of the card.

Lee Jeongmi, Director of Cultural Policy at the Ministry, stated, "Through this contest, I could truly feel the inspiration and hope the Munhwa Nuri Card brings, and more broadly, the power of culture. The Ministry will continue to expand support for the Munhwa Nuri Card and provide comprehensive assistance to vulnerable groups, so that everyone can enjoy a warm and happy daily life through culture."