Culture Ministry to inject W291.8b toward COVID-19 relief

Culture Minister Hwang Hee talks with audience members at the musical “Gwanghwamun Sonata” while inspecting the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on July 18. (Culture Ministry)

Some 291.8 billion won ($253.3 million) has been set aside for the second round of COVID-19 supplementary budget this year for the culture, sports and tourism sectors.

Of the total extra budget, 141.8 billion won will be allocated for job creation in the culture industry and for a coupon program to encourage domestic demand for culture, sports and tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Sunday in announcing the new supplementary budget.

The 150 billion won secured through the public capital management fund will be put into the tourism promotion and development fund to support the recovery of the tourism industry.

The Culture Ministry plans to inject 27.2 billion won toward subsidies for artists for their projects. It will also inject 11.5 billion won into new jobs at the performing arts theaters.

Some 25.2 billion won will be used to support authorities’ work on the infectious disease prevention and control systems at tourist attractions around the country, while 15.1 billion won will be used to help the tourism industry hire workers necessary for digitization projects, including digital content.

The Culture Ministry also plans to run a discount coupon program aimed at boosting spending related to culture, sports and tourism. 　

The ministry will inject 10 billion won to issue coupons for cinema tickets, estimated to benefit 1.67 million people. Some 12.4 billion won will be used to issue coupons for private sports facilities and 3 billion won for tickets at professional sports venues.

Some 14.1 billion won will be used to offer integrated cultural passes for 200,000 people in the low income bracket.

The Culture Ministry explained that the coupon program aims to prop up domestic demand in the culture, sports and tourism sectors hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. 　

Meanwhile, the first round of COVID-19 supplementary budget this year was set in March. The Culture Ministry allocated 184.4 billion won at the time, promising to create 17,940 jobs.

By Im Eun-byel(silverstar@heraldcorp.com)