Minister Chae Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on the 1st that in 2026, the foundation of a cultural powerhouse must be further solidified, and "K-culture" must be fostered as a bona fide core growth industry for the future.
The Minister said in a New Year's address that for the first time since Dangun, K-culture is captivating people around the world, and the government's core vision is also a "nation armed with the high power of culture."
Chae said that as expectations have grown, the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) has become several times, even dozens of times, heavier, and that the path to a "K-culture cultural powerhouse" must be opened together with the public and the field as the compass.
Chae also noted the need for innovation across the MCST's organization. The Minister said that to someone like Chae who has worked in the private sector for decades, the civil service is still unfamiliar and there is much to learn, but the principle of always thinking of the public first and finding answers in the field is clear.
Chae added a desire to create an organizational culture that always looks at what we do with a slant of about 15 degrees, and emphasized a hope that the MCST will break away from methods repeated by inertia and attempt fresh changes that meet the public and the field where they are.
On tourism and sports, Chae said that a big step should be taken to achieve the "K-tourism era of 30 million" early, and that sports should also be established as a field that earns greater trust from the public.
As achievements last year, Chae cited the successful preparation process for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju and the strengthened crackdown on ticket scalping. The Minister said that immediately after passing the unfamiliar hurdle of a confirmation hearing, Chae headed to Gyeongju to inspect APEC preparations, and that by launching the "The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange" and the "Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee," Chae ran without rest with experts to solve problems in the field.
Chae also assessed that although the period was short, bold action was taken on challenges such as ticket scalping and illegal distribution of content that had been difficult to resolve for decades, quickly producing tangible results in the form of related legal amendments.