Choi Hwi-young, the newly appointed Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, arrived at the ministry in Sejong City on the 31st, where he received a congratulatory bouquet from an employee representative and posed for a commemorative photo. During his inauguration ceremony at the government complex in Sejong, Minister Choi declared, “We will usher in an era of a K-culture market worth 300 trillion won through the second leap of the content industry.” He stressed that “culture is both an economy and international competitiveness,” and that “the government will play a priming role.”
Minister Choi highlighted the significance of the content industry, stating, “Content industries like K-pop, K-dramas, games, films, webtoons, and publishing are pivotal national industries, with sales reaching 154 trillion won and exports totaling 13.3 billion dollars as of 2023, growing at an average annual rate of 6%.” He emphasized the need to create the “next K-content” to lead the global market beyond BTS, Parasite, and Squid Game.
He elaborated on plans to support continuous growth for content companies by expanding policy financing, providing tax benefits, innovating research and development in cultural technology (R&D), and strengthening global market entry support.
AI and technology-based innovation strategies were also presented as key tasks. Minister Choi mentioned, “We will establish an innovative strategy for the content industry ecosystem, including AI content creation, production, and distribution. We will support the development of Korean-style AI that reflects our history and culture.” He added, “It is challenging to write a new success story with technology that lacks emotion, prioritizes technology over people, or lacks culture.”
He also emphasized strengthening the foundation of culture and the arts and protecting creators. “We will create a free artistic creation base and build a welfare safety net for artists,” he said, adding, “We plan to prepare measures for balanced coexistence among related industries amid the technological advances of AI and deepfakes.”
In addition, Minister Choi outlined major policy directions, including expanding regional cultural infrastructure to address cultural disparities, creating a cultural enjoyment environment in response to new leisure structures like the 4.5-day workweek, innovating the tourism industry based on digital transformation, and broadening participation in lifestyle sports.
Finally, he urged, “Cultural policies must quickly address the thirst on the ground with swift execution,” and called on the entire ministry to “embark on a new journey with a united spirit and a common vision.”