"Culture Day" Program to Be Expanded to Every Wednesday

Ministry of Culture to Revise Enforcement Ordinance in February, Aiming for April Implementation
Minister Choi Hwiyoung: "The Dream Arts Troupe Must Be Widely Promoted"

The "Culture Day" program, which is currently held on the last Wednesday of every month, is expected to be expanded to every Wednesday starting in April.

At the first business briefing for affiliated and public institutions under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, held at the Content Korea Lab (CKL) Corporate Support Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on January 13, the Regional Culture Promotion Agency reported its plan to expand the "Culture Day" program this year.

Jung Kwangryul, President of the Regional Culture Promotion Agency, stated, "On Culture Day, movie attendance is 29.6% higher than on other weekdays, and about 15.1 million out of 43 million people aged 15 and older benefit from Culture Day." He announced that the agency is pursuing the expansion of the Culture Day program.

Kim Yongseop, Director of Regional Culture Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "We are working to revise the enforcement ordinance by February," and added, "In close cooperation with the Regional Culture Promotion Agency, we are preparing to enrich the programs in the first quarter and implement the changes starting in April."

Choi Hwiyoung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is giving a general speech at the first business briefing of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism-affiliated and public institutions held at the Content Korea Lab (CKL) Corporate Support Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

In response to Minister Choi Hwiyoung's question about the preparation status, President Jung replied, "The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute is currently analyzing the economic impact, and the results of that study are expected in February." He added, "Currently, about 2,000 companies and cultural facilities nationwide are cooperating with the Culture Day program, and we are discussing ways to maintain this cooperative system with them."

Minister Choi Hwiyoung expressed the need to expand the "Culture Delivery Project," which is linked to Culture Day. The Culture Delivery Project delivers customized cultural programs, such as performances and exhibitions, directly to residents in areas with low cultural accessibility during Culture Day weeks, providing opportunities to enjoy culture in everyday life. Minister Choi said, "The Culture Delivery Project is being developed in a way that is rooted and led by the local communities, making it an excellent initiative. I hope the Regional Culture Promotion Agency will ensure its successful expansion."

Minister Choi also noted that the "Dream Arts Troupe" project by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service could attract significant interest from local governments and should be more widely promoted.

The Dream Arts Troupe is a project that has developed "El Sistema," a free music education program for underprivileged children and youth in Venezuela, into a Korean-style arts education model. The Dream Arts Troupe began with the establishment of an orchestra in 2010 and has since expanded into various fields, including a dance troupe (2022), a theater troupe (2024), and a visual arts studio (2025). Currently, about 4,500 children and youth are participating at 110 locations nationwide.

Minister Choi said, "Last year, I attended the 15th anniversary performance of the Dream Arts Troupe. I was truly amazed to see young children, who had not been learning their instruments for long, perform so wonderfully as members of the orchestra." He continued, "Since the program targets children and youth from vulnerable groups, it is an excellent initiative that provides great hope and dreams. I believe that if it is well promoted, every local government will want to adopt it."

Im Jintaek, President of the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, said, "Until last year, the Dream Arts Troupe operated 110 hubs centered on basic local governments, which we have secured. This year, we plan to secure about 60 more hubs."

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to receive business reports from 59 affiliated and public institutions, as well as major related organizations, in four sessions by January 16. Eighteen institutions, including the Arts Council Korea, Arts Management Support Center, Korea Creative Content Agency, Korean Film Council, Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, participated in the first briefing. The second briefing, to be held on January 14, will include 24 institutions such as the Seoul Arts Center, Gugak Broadcasting Foundation, Game Rating and Administration Committee, Korea Press Foundation, Grand Korea Leisure, Sports Ethics Center, and Taekwondo Promotion Foundation.

The third and fourth business briefings will be held on the morning and afternoon of January 16, respectively. The third briefing in the morning will include 15 institutions such as the Korea National University of Arts, National Gugak Center, National Theater of Korea, and Asia Culture Center. The fourth briefing, to be held at 3 p.m. on the same day, will include the National Heritage Administration and the National Heritage Promotion Agency.