Minister Hwee Young Choi Vows to Lay the Foundation for a Cultural Powerhouse with Extraordinary Resolve and a Sense of Mission

Hwee Young Choi, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, emphasized that as K-Culture is capturing the attention of people worldwide, he feels both pride and a profound sense of responsibility, and he is determined to lay the foundation for Korea to become a leading cultural powerhouse with extraordinary resolve and a strong sense of mission.

In his New Year's address released on January 1, Minister Choi stated that the core vision of the government is to become "a nation empowered by a rich culture," and that 2026 will be a more important year than ever for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Hwee Young Choi, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
[Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

Minister Choi said, "For the first time since the founding of Korea, K-Culture is captivating people around the world," adding, "While I take great pride in this, our sense of responsibility has grown several times over in proportion to the high expectations placed upon us." He continued, "We must nurture K-Culture into a true core growth industry for the future," and emphasized, "We need to take significant steps towards achieving 30 million K-Tourism visitors as soon as possible, and we must also ensure that sports earn even greater trust from the public."

Hwee Young Choi was appointed as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 31, nearly two months after the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration.

Minister Choi reflected, "It has only been five months since I took my first steps in public service as a novice minister after a lifetime in the private sector," and added, "During this time, I have experienced an intense period of learning and challenge, all under the weight of tremendous responsibility."

He noted that immediately after taking office, he was busy overseeing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, launching the "Popular Culture Exchange Committee" and the "Cultural Arts Policy Advisory Committee," and achieving results such as amending relevant laws to address ticket scalping and illegal content distribution.

Regarding the work of the Ministry, Minister Choi stated, "I want to foster a culture where people view the Ministry's work with a healthy dose of skepticism-about 15 degrees off center," and added, "Rather than repeating familiar practices simply out of habit or precedent, I hope the organization will always strive for fresh changes that reflect the perspectives of the public and those on the ground."

Minister Choi emphasized, "This year, we must build an even stronger foundation for Korea to become a cultural powerhouse," and called on everyone to "use the public and the field as our compass, and together, with extraordinary determination and a sense of mission, open the path toward a true K-Culture powerhouse."