The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed a record budget of 9.6345 trillion won ($9.6 billion) for 2027, marking a 22.6% increase from this year. This is the first time the ministry's budget has exceeded 9 trillion won, with a significant 44.6% surge in funding for the culture and arts sector. The substantial increase is largely attributed to the Youth Culture Pass, which will see its budget rise from 36.1 billion won this year to 792.5 billion won next year.
On September 3, the ministry announced the details of its 2027 budget plan.
The proposed budget is 1.779 trillion won (22.6%) higher than this year's 7.8555 trillion won, nearly double the overall government spending growth rate of 12.8%.
The culture and arts sector received the largest increase, with a budget of 3.8545 trillion won, up 44.6% from this year. Other areas include tourism, which saw an 18.8% increase to 1.7581 trillion won, content creation with a 9.5% rise to 1.7719 trillion won, and sports, which increased by 7.9% to 1.8333 trillion won.
While last year's budget focused on fostering the content industry, the 2027 budget, led by the citizen-led government, emphasizes grassroots arts, cultural enjoyment, and regional cultural support.
Kim Jeong-hoon, head of the planning and coordination office, stated in a briefing the day before, "This is the first budget that reflects the identity of the citizen-led government. While funding for K-culture growth is important, grassroots arts and cultural enjoyment, as well as regional culture, form the foundation of a cultural powerhouse."
The sharp increase is driven by the Youth Culture Pass. The overall arts budget increased by 1.1891 trillion won, with 756.4 billion won of that attributed to the Youth Culture Pass alone, meaning approximately 64% of the increase in the arts budget is directed toward supporting youth cultural consumption.
The Youth Culture Pass is an expanded and revamped initiative that broadens the age range from 19-20 to 19-34, as defined by the Youth Basic Act. The areas of use have also been expanded from performances and exhibitions to include movies and books, and starting next year, it will also cover sports activities. The government will provide 100,000 won ($75) for those in the metropolitan area and 150,000 won ($112) for those outside the capital, fully funded by the national budget.
Concerns have been raised about whether the significant expansion of the program, just three years after its launch, has been adequately validated. The initiative began in 2024 for 19-year-olds, expanded to include 19-20-year-olds this year, and will now cover 19-34-year-olds next year. The current year's program has not yet concluded, so final execution rates and spending figures are not available.
The ministry maintains that user response has been positive. Park So-jung, head of the cultural policy division, stated during the briefing, "More than 90% of eligible individuals have received the pass, and over 90% of those who received it are using it. Satisfaction rates exceed 90%." The previous program's limitation to 19-20-year-olds raised equity concerns among other youth demographics, which contributed to the decision to expand the program.
The budget for next year is based on the assumption that about 70% of youth aged 19-34 will benefit. However, the ministry plans to allow any youth in that age range to apply for the program. Park added, "We will work with financial authorities to ensure that no one who applies is left unsupported due to budget constraints."
The ministry believes that this initiative will not only enhance youth cultural enjoyment but also benefit the cultural and arts sector. It anticipates a positive cycle where the money spent by youth on performances, exhibitions, movies, and books will flow back into grassroots arts, the content industry, and regional cultural sectors.
Support for artists' social safety nets will also be strengthened. The budget for the "Basic Living Support for Artists," which covers industrial accident insurance and national pension contributions, will increase from 1.5 billion won to 31.1 billion won, more than a 20-fold increase. New funding will also be allocated for health check-ups. The budget for rental loans under the Artists' Living Stabilization Fund will expand from 14 billion won to 40 billion won.
Funding of 4.4 billion won will be provided for theater productions and 3.9 billion won for original musicals, enabling collaboration between performance venues, professional producers, and theater companies. A new allocation of 21.5 billion won will support local governments in assisting emerging and promising artists through the "Regional Arts Activation" initiative. Additionally, 17.1 billion won will be invested in supporting performances and exhibitions linked to local festivals. The budget for regional touring exhibitions by national museums will increase from 4.5 billion won to 13.3 billion won, nearly tripling.
In the content sector, policy financing will be expanded, focusing on large-scale strategic investments in intellectual property (IP) and overseas expansion. The Global League Fund, aimed at attracting foreign capital, will increase from 60 billion won to 200 billion won, more than tripling, while the Content Strategy Fund will double from 65 billion won to 130 billion won. Investments in the film sector will also see a significant increase from 45 billion won to 72 billion won. Overall, the K-content fund investment will rise from 430 billion won to 603 billion won. A new allocation of 6 billion won will support large-scale games targeting the global market through the "Global Frontier Game" initiative.
Furthermore, the budget for research and development to support the growth of the K-culture industry will increase from 151.5 billion won to 177.4 billion won, a 17.1% rise. New funding of 25 billion won will be allocated for developing innovative technologies that enhance the experience of enjoying K-culture live performances in remote venues, while 6.2 billion won will be dedicated to developing K-museum technologies.
Kim, head of the planning and coordination office, emphasized, "This budget proposal from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism focuses on areas where citizens can directly feel the impact, including the creative conditions for artists, the first steps for youth, regional tourism competitiveness, and the sports environment in the daily lives of the public."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.