Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young apologized over the controversy surrounding recent appointments of heads of public institutions in the culture and arts sector, while explaining that the appointments were not made without reason.
Choi attended the second meeting of the Basic Arts Subcommittee of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee, held at the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 30. "Because expectations for the people's sovereignty government are high, I believe we must fully accept the disappointed or critical opinions raised about the results of the recent appointments of public institution heads in the culture and arts sector," he said. "In that respect, if I have caused concern, as the appointing authority I am naturally sorry."
Choi added, however, that "our arts work with respect and affection for human beings. People may have different views, but I think approaches that attack individuals are not appropriate." He continued, "I did not make these appointments without my own reasons, and I appointed them because I believe they will perform their roles well." He emphasized, "Everything will proceed transparently, so please watch and see."
The controversy over the appointments of culture and arts institution heads erupted after the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism appointed Seo Seung-man as CEO of the Jeongdong Theater and Hwang Kyo-ik as president of the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute on Oct. 10 and Oct. 17, respectively. Some culture and arts organizations, including the Cultural Action, held a press conference in front of the Blue House on Oct. 21 and criticized the moves, saying, "They have damaged the expertise and trust of the culture and arts sector. Stop the one-sided personnel measures immediately."
This marked the first time Minister Choi publicly shared his views on the appointment controversy.
Artists attending the meeting also voiced a range of opinions on the controversy. Won Il, artistic director of the ACC World Music Festival, said, "There are many voices in the field calling for more qualified professionals to lead cultural institutions." Choi Woo-jung, a professor of composition at Seoul National University, noted, "If it becomes clear what direction and vision an institution will pursue when an appointment is made, the level of public understanding will be much higher."
At the meeting, Choi also announced plans to swiftly overhaul the "Artist Activity Certification" system. "The artist activity certification system is truly important, but distrust and skepticism toward it are growing over time," he said. "I believe we need to sort this out in some form this time."
The Artist Activity Certification, based on the Artist Welfare Act, is a system that verifies whether an artist is actually engaged in artistic activities. It serves as a basic qualification requirement for artists to participate in various welfare programs run by the Korean Artists Welfare Foundation.
He also expressed his intention to pilot a basic income program for the arts sector through the "K-Art Young Creators Support Project," introduced for the first time this year. "We plan to select about 3,000 people in May," he said. "Selected young artists will receive a total of 9 million won per person over nine months, with no separate restrictions on how the funds can be used."
He added, "As a kind of test version of a basic income, we will accumulate data on how this money is actually used in artistic activities and what effects it produces."
