Recently, with the news of celebrities who have turned their backs on the world after starting their activities in the entertainment industry at a young age, there are calls for a concrete system to be established for the mental care of entertainers. Accordingly, legislation that mandates entertainment agencies to provide humanities education to their artists at least once a year will be promoted in the National Assembly.
Kang Yoo-jung, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 21st, proposed the 'Celebrity Humanities Education Act (partial amendment of the Cultural Industry Development Act)' as the primary sponsor.
As many entertainers enter the entertainment industry at a young age in their teens, it has been pointed out that education is needed to protect their sense of self and to form internal value standards in an environment that is continuously exposed to media and public evaluation.
A study published by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute in 2020, titled 'Countermeasures for the Suicide Issues of Popular Cultural Entertainers,' found that many entertainers experience high stress due to excessive competition, the burden of declining popularity, and job instability.
Moreover, because they have a significant social influence on the public, especially on young people, there is a need for social attention and policy responses for the mental health of entertainers.
The 'Celebrity Humanities Education Act' proposed by lawmaker Kang Yoo-jung includes provisions that allow popular cultural artists affiliated with agencies to receive humanities education at least once a year.
Lawmaker Kang noted, "Humanities help individuals discover their inherent dignity by exploring the fundamental question of 'Who am I?' from various perspectives," and stated, "The mandatory humanities education for popular cultural artists will help entertainers, who have been exposed to the gaze and evaluation of others from a young age, establish a healthy self-esteem and self-affirming value system."