Korea‘s nominee for minister for culture, sports and tourism, Chae Hwi-young, said at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he plans to grow the Korean culture industry to 300 trillion won ($215.7 billion).
Chae cited industry figures from 2023, pointing out that the culture industry contributed around $110 billion in domestic revenue and $13.3 billion in exports that year, according to local reports.
The Korean culture industry has grown at an annual rate of around 5 to 6 percent, and spans the film, television, music, games, webtoons and publishing fields, among others.
If his nomination is confirmed, Chae will become the first private sector expert to lead the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Chae also wants to better integrate AI technology into the culture industry, highlighting the need to look at AI-based creation, production and distribution.
The ministry has sought bolder moves in recent weeks to invigorate the country’s film industry in particular, which is currently experiencing a slump at the box office and a sharp slowdown in film production.
Just last Friday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued 4.5 million vouchers that discount 6,000 won (around $4.30) from movie ticket prices, in a bid to bring audiences back to theaters and bolster support for cinema operators. These vouchers were offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
In the first few days of the voucher launch, websites for cinema chains like CGV, Lotte Cinema, and Megabox were overwhelmed and often crashed, as people rushed online in an attempt to claim the few millions of coupons available.
