By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Six months after assuming leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Minister Yu In-chon announced Wednesday the new administration will spur South Korea into a first-rate cultural hub by funding pan-regional projects among others.
The minister confirmed recent reports about the possibility of moving the Museum of Contemporary Art from its present location in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province to Seoul. One candidate site is the current Defense Security Command situated next to Gyeongbok Palace, central Seoul. ``It seems natural to take the national museum out of the hills to facilitate public access,'' Yu told reporters in the crowded restaurant of the National Museum of Korea, central Seoul.
The new ministry, however, is determined to move things out of Seoul as well. Beginning next year, it will decentralize government art funding, hitherto concentrated in Seoul, and promote cultural endeavors in provincial regions. It will thus narrow the current 8:2 funding ratio between Seoul and outer regions to 6:4, and eventually 5:5. These moves will take up 32 percent or 24.8 billion won of the budget allotted for promoting cultural development.
Regarding state-run art organizations, the ministry resolved its focus on quality rather than quantity. It will endorse a ``creativity factory'' system, an incubating process of devoting three years into the careful planning of works that boast artistic merit. Commercial success or market trends will not interfere with the mid-to-long runs of such performances.
This year, this system will be applied to musicals and plays. Writers and composers will be encouraged to submit works, among which the top prizewinner will receive 20 million won and two runner-ups 10 million each. Six contestants will receive funding to showcase their works (3 million won for plays and 5 million won for musicals). The promotion of regular auditions is also expected to revamp the competitiveness of the national organizations.
The ministry will continue the ``brand-making'' of Korea's cultural heritage, and launch cultural endeavors to promote hangeul (the Korean alphabet) and taekwondo. It also vowed to support less popular sports like women's handball, and facilitate access to sports facilities for everyone, including senior citizens and the physically disabled.
Yu also said the ministry is working to protect the overseas copyright of domestic works and endorse international cultural exchange. He said the ministry is not promising grandiose schemes, but rather endorses President Lee Myung-bak's ``creative pragmatism.''