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| Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Yang-woo speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the National Theater Company in Seoul, Sept. 3. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Minister blasts Japan's history distortion
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Unlike other areas that have been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, hallyu ― or the Korean wave ― has arguably remained robust. Oddly enough, its global presence has become stronger after people being stuck at home has become the new normal around the world in the wake of the pandemic.
People stuck at home have naturally turned to entertainment they can enjoy online, such as films, dramas, games, webcomics and concert broadcasts ― which are already staples of Korea's cultural exports.
The phenomenon of hallyu being unfazed by the pandemic has pushed local experts to coin the term "new hallyu." A newly launched hallyu cooperation committee includes representatives from 13 ministries, and a hallyu department has been established within the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in June.
Culture Minister Park Yang-woo was upbeat about the "pandemic-defying hallyu," vowing to foster a "new culture model" that allows the public to enjoy cultural activities safely and triggers global exports of culture.
In a recent interview with The Korea Times, he shared his plans to nurture and support immersive digital technology and over-the-top (OTT) services, as well as encourage virtual exhibitions and livestreamed concerts.
"In the face of COVID-19, the culture industry is experimenting with new methods, such as online streaming and OTT services, to deliver high-quality content to consumers," Park said.
"Korea has great potential in the performance, film, games, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) fields. We also have advanced technology and an innovative workforce."
With the rising popularity of Korean content, K-dramas such as "Crash Landing on You" and "Kingdom" were among Netflix's top 10 picks in major Asian countries, including Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
In June, BTS' virtual concert "Bang Bang Con: The Live" drew 756,000 viewers from 107 different countries, including the U.S., China and Japan.
The culture ministry said it will increase investment in cultural technology R&D, which includes VR, AR and artificial intelligence (AI), to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, 5G and 6G eras. It has set aside 113 billion won ($95 million) for cultural technology R&D next year, up 18 percent from this year's 95.6 billion won.
"We will apply technology to cultural heritages in public museums and build special zones that deliver AR and VR experiences for visitors," Park said.
He stressed that Korea will diversify its cultural output and nurture related industries such as the consumer goods and services sectors in order to create a sustainable environment for the global spread of Korean soft power.
The minister suggested ways to support the culture industry, including government subsidies, tax incentives and the loosening of regulations related to the export of entertainment products.
"The government's role will be focused on creating a better and sounder cultural market, not to intervene in the private sector's initiatives. For instance, we created the adventure investment fund worth 450 billion won to invest in small projects or those in the early stages of production," he said. "We are also supporting film academies to promote the circulation of films and game institutes to nurture talented young workers."
Regarding putting "K-" in front of every cultural phenomenon as in K-pop, K-drama, K-movie, K-fashion among countless others, Park claimed such coined terms have helped lower the barrier for foreigners to access Korean culture.
"Foreigners who come across Korean culture through K-pop and learn about the K-quarantine response model will naturally grow interested in other K-brands that may lead to the spread of hallyu and growth of related industries," he said.
"In the short term, it is important to spread our diverse content throughout the world under the K-brand, but we will also review measures to highlight each K-brand's characteristic."
Historical row over Battleship Island
The culture minister also brought up the contentious forced-labor issue during the interview, strongly condemning the Japanese government for breaking its promise to honor victims of wartime forced labor at its historic industrial sites, including Hashima Island, also known as Battleship Island here, where hundreds of Koreans were forced to work in an undersea coal mine.
"The Japanese government's failure to acknowledge past forced labor abuses and keep its promise underlies the country's purpose to cover up its dark history and avoid the chance of correcting the wrongdoings of the past," Park said. "It's dishonest and cowardly behavior."
The issue resurfaced after Japan opened the Industrial Heritage Information Center in Tokyo in June that included materials suggesting there was no discriminatory treatment of Korean workers on Hashima Island.
Upon receiving the UNESCO World Heritage designation in 2015, Japan pledged to the international community that it would establish a center to commemorate "Koreans and others who were taken there against their will and forced to work under inhumane working conditions."
Seven of 23 industrial sites employed forced labor from Korea, China and other countries during World War II.
However, Japan has failed to live up to its commitment to convey "an understanding of the full history of each site," including the use of Koreans as wartime forced labor during its 1910-45 colonial occupation of the peninsula.
Park said the country will seek regional solidarity to hold Japan accountable for its colonial behavior.
The culture ministry hosted an international forum under the theme "Humanity's Collective Memories, UNESCO World Heritage and Trust in International Relations," July 29, inviting scholars and civic groups from China, Taiwan, the U.S., Japan and Australia.
It will continue to work together with related ministries, civic groups and academics to raise the issue.
"We believe the historical row will affect our future exchanges with Japan," Park said. "Cultural exchanges must be built on mutual trust, and the first step to establishing a future-oriented relationship is to face historical facts and fulfill promises."
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