Minister Chae Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism drew a clear line regarding talk in some political circles of the transfer of the Korea National University of Arts (K-ARTS), saying, "I have never once considered it until now."
The Minister said on the 2nd via personal social media, "The plan to move the K-ARTS campus to a specific area originated from bills proposed by lawmakers from that area," adding, "Although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has already explained that it has not reviewed the matter at all, the debate continues."
The Minister stressed that a grave matter like a campus transfer should not be decided within a limited discussion framework. The Minister said, "This is not something to be decided in a back room by a few," and noted, "Open discussion, sufficient deliberation, and the formation of social consensus must come first." The Minister also expressed concern about a situation in which one of many opinions is being received as if it were a finalized policy.
The Minister also said, "As K-culture is drawing global attention, priority should be given to crafting a vision to develop K-ARTS into a world-class arts education institution."
Earlier, Chung Joon-ho, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 22nd introduced a bill providing the basis for the establishment and operation of K-ARTS. The bill included the transfer of K-ARTS to the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City and the establishment of a graduate program so that students who complete the advanced arts program can receive master's and doctoral degrees.