South Korea will launch its first direct support program for young artists in foundational arts, providing 9 million won ($6,200) annually to 3,000 creators to help them focus on their work without financial pressure.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Sunday that applications for the pilot "K-Art Young Creator Support" program will be accepted from March 3 to 31. The ministry is conducting the program jointly with the Arts Council Korea, 17 metropolitan and provincial governments, and regional cultural foundations. Final recipients will be selected and announced in mid-May.
The program targets creators aged 39 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1986) working in foundational arts fields, with 1,500 grants allocated to the Seoul metropolitan area and 1,500 to other regions.
While the government has previously offered various support policies for performing artists—including musicians, actors, and dancers—through programs such as the National Youth Arts Company, training positions at national arts organizations, and rehearsal space subsidies, direct support for young creators has been relatively limited.
The ministry said the new program aims to fill this policy gap. Responding to criticism from the arts community that existing support programs have been largely one-time annual initiatives with limited long-term effectiveness, selected recipients will continue to receive support in subsequent years barring special circumstances.
Eligible fields include literature, visual arts, performing arts (theater, musicals, dance, classical music, and traditional arts), multidisciplinary arts, and convergence arts. Popular entertainment sectors such as pop music and film are excluded.
Interested applicants can review program details on the Arts Council Korea website and regional cultural foundation websites before submitting applications through the National Culture and Arts Support System.
The pilot program, running from this year through 2027, will undergo evidence-based performance evaluation conducted by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. The evaluation will systematically analyze changes in time devoted to creative work, increases in creative output, income and expenditure changes, and the impact of support on young artists' employment and earnings.
A ministry official said, "Beyond this new young creator support program, we will continue to develop policies that artists can feel in the field, including strengthening central-regional cooperative support for creative work and expanding follow-up support for foundational arts."