The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Choi Hwi-young) announced its achievements over the past year to mark the first anniversary of the People's Sovereignty Government. The ministry said Tuesday that it has achieved record performances in fields including arts, content, and tourism based on key policies promoted through communication with the public and on-the-ground industries. Major achievements include K-content exports reaching a record-high $14.9 billion (preliminary) last year, with inbound tourists also hitting an all-time high of 18.94 million. Leisure satisfaction, a measure of quality of life, also reached a record 64%, the highest since the survey began in 2016.
According to the ministry, K-content is being fostered as a national strategic industry to convert and expand cultural capabilities into new industrial outcomes, and through this, content industry exports in 2025 reached a record-high $14.9 billion.
Specialized policy financing is being expanded to revitalize K-content. The Mother Fund's culture and film accounts, which serve as a catalyst for content growth, are being formed at a record-high 731.8 billion won in 2026, while the Global League Fund based on overseas capital is being formed at 150 billion won. In addition, a webtoon production cost tax credit was newly established this January, and the sunset deadline for the video content production cost tax credit was extended to 2028.
The ministry has also moved to address illegal content distribution and ticket scalping in the performance and sports industries—issues Minister Choi Hwi-young previously called the "two intractable diseases" facing the cultural industry. Amendments to the Copyright Act, Performance Act, and National Sports Promotion Act passed the National Assembly in January 2026, and an emergency blocking system for illegal content went into effect on May 11. A punitive damages system applicable to intellectual property rights infringements is set to take effect in August. Crackdowns on ticket scalping under the revised Performance Act and other laws will begin in August. A 50-fold penalty surcharge on scalped tickets and a reporting reward system are also scheduled to be implemented.
In the film industry, a core K-content sector that had recently stagnated, government emergency support policies served as so-called "CPR," with first-quarter theater revenue and audience numbers reaching 318 billion won and 31.9 million viewers, up 58.7% and 53.2%, respectively, from the first quarter of last year. Through a recent supplementary budget, the ministry expanded mid-budget film production support more than fourfold this year (from 10 billion won in 2025 to 46 billion won in 2026) and intensively supported independent art films and advanced production sectors.
In the tourism industry, a representative export sector, foreign card spending in Korea last year reached a record-high $14.1 billion (Bank of Korea statistics). In particular, the number of inbound tourists who visited Korea last year reached an all-time high of 18.94 million, and this growth trend is accelerating this year. The number of inbound tourists in the second half of 2025 increased 17% from the second half of the previous year, and cumulative inbound visitors through April this year reached 6.77 million, up 21% from 5.58 million in the same period last year. Tourism exports also reached a record-high $27.2 billion (preliminary), up 10.6% from the previous year.
These tourism industry achievements are evaluated as the result of various public-private efforts amid the global spread of K-culture. A temporary visa waiver for Chinese group tourists was implemented in September last year, and starting in March this year, citizens from 12 countries including China and Southeast Asian nations who have previously visited Korea can receive expanded multiple-entry visas. In addition, expedited entry screening, which has been conducted since October last year for participants in international conferences with 300 or more foreign attendees, was expanded in April this year to include up to two accompanying persons.
K-culture-based marketing for attracting tourists also played a key role. The ministry developed and promoted various content to publicize Korea as an attractive tourist destination, including 110 tourism courses linking drama and film locations with tourist resources, attracting tourists through regional content such as the Nakhwa Festival in Haman County, South Gyeongsang Province, and supporting the selection of "global festivals" such as the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival.
Above all, through two "National Tourism Strategy Meetings" held after the launch of the new government, full-scale discussions began on major tasks that could bring change to the tourism industry, such as simplifying immigration procedures and establishing an integrated promotion system for the lodging industry. The elevation of the National Tourism Strategy Meeting to a presidential body through the revision of the Framework Act on Tourism proved effective.
Efforts have also been made to attract inbound tourists to provincial areas. To establish provincial airports as hubs for inbound tourism, the "Incheon-Jeju" domestic route began operations in May this year, and additional flights on the "Incheon-Gimhae" route were approved (from 35 to 39 weekly flights). The growth rate of inbound passengers at provincial airports in the first quarter of this year increased significantly by 49% compared to the same period last year.
The ministry explained that it is also pursuing quantitative expansion and qualitative growth of cultural programs, as well as balanced regional development, so that all citizens can easily enjoy culture in their daily lives. First, "Culture Day," a flagship cultural program that resonates with the public, was reorganized in April this year as "Culture Wednesday," held once weekly on Wednesdays. Within one month of implementation, participating cultural facilities and operating programs for "Culture Wednesday" expanded significantly. As of April, participating cultural facilities reached 1,721 venues, up 2.1-fold from the previous month, and operating programs in April reached 4,756, up 5.7-fold from the previous month.
In addition, support for cultural club activities based at public libraries increased sixfold (from 50 in 2025 to 300 in 2026), and humanities programs utilizing social and cultural facilities increased by more than 70% (from 700 to 1,200). Through the "Life Bookstore" and "Late-Night Bookstore" projects newly being promoted this year, approximately 2,400 reading programs will be operated at 340 local bookstores nationwide.
The "It's Coming to Our Neighborhood Too" project is also being promoted so that local residents can easily view excellent performances and exhibitions in their regions. Last year, the ministry supported 583 regional performances and exhibitions, including regional tour performances by eight national arts organizations, regional performances of popular music and musicals, traveling exhibitions by national museums, and regional traveling exhibitions of excellent art content. This year, 936 performances and exhibitions—more than 60% more than last year—are currently on regional tours.
The "Integrated Culture Voucher (Culture Nuri Card)" project, which supports cultural activities for the culturally and economically marginalized, the "Youth Culture and Arts Pass" project, which provides cultural experiences to the younger generation, and the "Tunteun Money" project, which encourages national participation in exercise, have also been expanded. The Integrated Culture Voucher was raised by 10,000 won from last year to provide 150,000 won this year, with an additional 10,000 won provided to youth (ages 13–18) and seniors (ages 60–64). The "Youth Culture and Arts Pass" was raised from a maximum of 150,000 won last year to up to 200,000 won this year for youth in non-metropolitan areas. Its scope of use was also expanded from performances and exhibitions to include the film sector earlier this year, and starting in August, it can also be used in the book sector.
"Tunteun Money" is a sports incentive support project where anyone who exercises for 30 minutes or more at approximately 4,000 sports facilities nationwide can accumulate 500 points (won) per session, up to a maximum of 50,000 points (won) per person annually. The support budget has been more than doubled from 4 billion won last year to 8 billion won this year, with the goal of attracting 700,000 participants.
Through these efforts, indicators related to cultural enjoyment are on the rise. The 2025 public leisure satisfaction rate reached a record-high 64% since the survey began in 2016, and professional sports attendance also set an all-time high at 17.83 million. In addition, the lifestyle sports participation rate reached 62.9% (based on 30 minutes or more at least once a week), the highest in the past five years.
The National Museum of Korea, which is emerging as a hub of K-culture, surpassed 6.5 million annual visitors in 2025, ranking as the world's third-largest museum by visitor count after the Louvre and the Vatican Museums. Including regional national museums, total visitors to national museums also reached 18.09 million, up 36% from the previous year.
The National Museum of Korea has [achieved this] through creative exhibition planning, museum dress-up activities, and collaborations with K-pop singers and popular characters.
