The government will provide systematic support to strengthen the industrial ecosystem and expand overseas market entry to grow K-Craft, which has lagged relatively behind in K-Culture.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the "2nd Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Craft Culture Industry (2026–2030)" on Tuesday, aimed at laying the foundation for the sustainable growth of K-Craft and strengthening its global competitiveness. Through this plan, the ministry intends to grow the craft culture industry, which had sales of 5.8009 trillion won (as of 2024) and exports of $1.8983 billion (as of 2025), to 9 trillion won in sales and $4 billion in exports by 2030.
The 2nd Basic Plan set two goals: "creating a virtuous-cycle ecosystem through full-cycle innovation" and "expanding K-Craft's overseas markets." In detail, it drew up four strategies and eight tasks: △ (supply) strengthening the creation and production base and the craft industry ecosystem △ (mediation) innovating craft distribution and expanding overseas market entry △ (demand) diversifying programs for enjoying craft culture △ (foundation) advancing the policy base and overhauling systems.
First, the plan will support the full-cycle growth of craft talent and strengthen the foundation for industrial linkages. It will operate residency programs using vacant houses and idle spaces of local governments, and support craftspeople in responding to a changing production environment through technical retraining and management capacity education. It will also build a tailored support system for each growth stage, spanning from creative entry to market settlement and industry leadership.
In addition, the plan will expand the training of specialized personnel and the basis for collaboration that connects industry and creation. It will strengthen systems for training specialized mediation personnel such as craft exhibition docents and product planners, and operate a business-to-business connection platform to promote collaboration with other industries such as fashion, lifestyle, and architecture. It also plans to discover startups that apply traditional values in modern ways and nurture them step by step, from early startup to overseas entry.
Second, the plan will broaden K-Craft's market. It will create "comprehensive distribution centers" combining experience, purchase, and promotion functions in areas crowded with foreign tourists, and plans to regularize craft-only special exhibitions through cooperation with major domestic and overseas distribution channels such as museums, department stores, and online platforms. It will also expand the use of crafts in items such as hometown love donation system gifts and public institution award goods, creating stable public demand. The "Craft Trend Fair," the nation's largest craft distribution event, will be upgraded into an industrialization hub platform by strengthening connections with overseas buyers and strategic partnerships with companies.
To pioneer overseas markets, the plan will support participation in major international fairs and strengthen K-Craft's promotion using the permanent overseas exhibition hall operating in Dubai and Korean Cultural Centers abroad as bases. It also plans to broaden the application areas of crafts through Hallyu marketing linked with K-Culture and space collaborations with hotels and resorts.
Third, the plan will reorganize "Craft Week" into an intensive cultural event centered on hub cities, and hold touring "Visiting Craft Exhibitions" so that excellent craft works can be easily accessed even outside the capital region. It will create a tailored "one person, one craft" education environment across the entire life cycle, from infancy to old age, and operate healing and self-reliance support programs for out-of-school youth and reclusive young people.
In the long term, the plan will create a "National Craft Center" to perform a national craft hub function, and build "regional craft clusters" reflecting regional characteristics, creating a region-led craft industry ecosystem.
Finally, for advancing the policy base and overhauling systems, the plan will pursue an amendment to the enforcement decree of the "Value-Added Tax Act" so that practical craft items can receive tax benefits on par with artworks, and seek institutional improvements such as recognizing exceptions to gift value limits at the level of agricultural, livestock, and fishery products under the "Improper Solicitation and Graft Act." It will institutionalize the craft industry as an independent industry group under the Korea Standard Industrial Classification (KSIC), shorten the three-year survey cycle to two years, and convert it into officially approved national statistics.
Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young said, "Now, when the world's interest in K-Culture is spreading to crafts that contain Korea's unique aesthetic sensibility, is an important time for K-Craft to leap forward," adding, "We will do our best to systematically implement this 2nd Basic Plan so that crafts can deeply permeate the daily lives of our people and further grow into a high value-added industry that leads the global market," the ministry said.
