Overseeing Content, Media, Copyright Protection, and International Cultural Exchange
Tourism Policy Bureau Elevated to Tourism Policy Office for "30 Million K-Tourism Visitors"
New Artists' Rights Protection Division Established for Swift Response to Rights Violations
On December 23, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it will elevate the Tourism Policy Bureau to the Tourism Policy Office and establish a new Culture and Media Industry Office, which will comprehensively oversee and organically connect policies for content industry promotion, media policy, copyright protection, and international cultural exchange and cooperation.
The Ministry stated that it is expanding and reorganizing its structure to achieve its policy goals of "300 trillion won for K-Culture and 30 million K-Tourism visitors by 2030" ahead of schedule. Additionally, to robustly support the cultural and artistic ecosystem that underpins these goals, the Ministry will establish a new Artists’ Rights Protection Division.
The Ministry explained that, following consultations with relevant agencies and a public notice period, the "Partial Amendment to the Organization of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Its Affiliated Institutions," which contains the details of this reorganization, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on this day and will be promulgated and implemented on December 30.
The newly established Culture and Media Industry Office will oversee content industry promotion, media policy, copyright protection, and international cultural exchange and cooperation, which were previously managed by separate bureaus. As a result, the Ministry’s organization will shift from the previous structure of five offices and five bureaus to six offices and one bureau.
Regarding the background for establishing the Culture and Media Industry Office, the Ministry explained, "There has been a continuous need to strengthen the implementation system so that new growth strategies for the content industry can be developed and innovation can be driven across the entire cultural industry ecosystem, in response to the slowing growth of the content industry and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) innovation technologies." It further stated, "As 'K-Content' leads exports of 'K-Food,' fashion, tourism, and more, the scope of 'K-Culture' has expanded and become globalized. By adding international cultural exchange and cooperation functions to the Culture and Media Industry Office, we plan to promote the development of the K-Culture industry in a more comprehensive manner." In addition, the Ministry emphasized that it will restructure the Content Policy Bureau and Media Policy Bureau within the Culture and Media Industry Office to establish a Cultural Industry Policy Division that will focus on supporting the four key growth pillars of the content industry: intellectual property (IP), talent, funding, and research & development (R&D). The support functions for core sectors such as media, film, games, popular music, and publishing will be consolidated under the Content and Media Industry Division, enabling a swift response to issues within each individual industry.
The Ministry has previously operated a Culture Content Industry Office that oversaw content, media, and copyright policies. This office was established in 2008 and operated until 2017.
Regarding the elevation of the Tourism Policy Bureau to the Tourism Policy Office, the Ministry explained, "Tourism is a key driver of the national economy, simultaneously boosting exports and domestic demand. Proactive responses are required to address environmental changes such as digital transformation and shifts in tourism demand." The Ministry added, "To this end, we are strengthening policy coordination and collaboration functions among ministries, local governments, and the private sector, and enhancing our capacity to plan and implement national tourism policies." Furthermore, "Within the Tourism Policy Office, in addition to the Tourism Policy Division, which oversees overall tourism policy and fosters regional tourism development, a separate International Tourism Policy Division will be established to actively promote inbound tourism policies to achieve the era of 30 million foreign visitors to Korea."
The newly created Artists’ Rights Protection Division will be dedicated to protecting the rights of artists. The Ministry stated, "This reflects the new government’s commitment to strengthening the protection of artists’ rights, rather than simply providing general support." The Ministry added, "The number of personnel responsible for investigating violations of artists’ rights will be increased from four to five, enabling a swift response to such violations."
Minister Choi Hwiyeong stated, "The purpose of this reorganization is to restructure the Ministry so that the cultural competitiveness we have accumulated over the years can yield industrial results. By consolidating the policy capabilities of the Ministry-including the newly established Culture and Media Industry Office and Tourism Policy Office, as well as the existing Culture and Arts Policy Office-and by proactively leading cooperation among ministries, local governments, and the private sector, we will strive to achieve the goals of 300 trillion won for K-Culture and 30 million K-Tourism visitors as soon as possible."
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