Korean publishing organization, book fair reported to police by Culture Ministry

The Culture Ministry on Wednesday reported Korea's largest publishing organization and its annual book fair organizers to the police for allegedly misusing government subsidies. The request for an investigation comes amid escalating tensions...

Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon briefs the local press about the ministry's audit of the Korean Publishers Association and the Seoul International Book Fair, in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on July 24. [YONHAP]

The Culture Ministry on Wednesday reported Korea's largest publishing organization and its annual book fair organizers to the police for allegedly misusing government subsidies.

The request for an investigation comes amid escalating tensions between the government and the publishing industry.

According to the press release by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday, the ministry requested that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency investigate the Korean Publishers Association (KPA) and Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) for violations of the Subsidy Management Act.

KPA President Yoon Chul-ho and SIBF director Joo Il-woo were among the names the Culture Ministry reported.

The ministry last week announced that it had been conducting an audit on KPA and SIBF during which it apparently discovered "deleted and whited-out" records of SIBF's profit for the past five years.

“The truth must be revealed regarding the suspicions of misuse or waste of the citizens' taxes," Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon said in Thursday's press release. "The ministry felt that the request for an investigation was necessary to fulfill our duty and also to protect all the members and related entities of KPA. We hope that clear facts will be revealed through investigations."

Visitors browse books at the 2023 Seoul International Book Fair which was held from June 14 to 18 at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [YONHAP]

SIBF is the largest book fair in the country and is annually run on some 1 billion won ($780,000) of taxpayers' money. This year's fair was held in June, and some 130,000 visitors, 210 guest speakers and 530 publishers from 36 countries attended exhibitions, seminars and other events like book signings.

KPA is Korea’s oldest and largest private-sector organization in the publishing industry, having been established in 1947.

KPA is scheduled to hold a mass protest on Aug. 17, in central Seoul, to rally against the Culture Ministry, which the association claims is trying to terminate government funding for authors and the publishing industry. KPA, however, said that the protest is unrelated to the ministry's audit and its allegations against KPA and SIBF.

Members of cultural organizations hold a press conference denouncing Oh Jeong-hui's appointment as a promotional ambassador for Seoul International Book Fair's at the book fair and call for Oh to step down, outside the fair's venue of Coex in southern Seoul, on June 14. Oh was behind the compilation of the blacklist of cultural figures during the Park Geun-hye administration. [YONHAP]

This year's SIBF was embroiled in controversy when author Oh Jeong-hui was appointed as a promotional ambassador for the book fair. Oh in 2018 was found to be behind the compilation of the blacklist of cultural figures during the Park Geun-hye administration. The list was made with the intention to cut off government support or covertly censor or penalize cultural figures who criticized or otherwise did not support Park.

Cultural organizations including the Writers Association of Korea had held a press conference denouncing Oh's appointment at the book fair outside Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, a few hours before SIBF's opening ceremony, where first lady Kim Keon-hee was to attend.

When some 10 writers and poets who participated in the press conference tried to enter the opening ceremony, they were escorted out by security guards who told them that they could go in after Kim left the venue.

First lady Kim Keon-hee speaks during the opening ceremony of the Seoul International Book Fair at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 14. [KOREA PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSOCIATION]

Oh removed herself from the list of promotional ambassadors, three days into the five-day fair.

"KPA recognizes its shortcomings to understand the victims of the blacklist case during the Park Geun-hye administration, a case which is still controversial to this day," the association said on June 16. "We apologize to all bibliophiles, publishers and citizens for the trouble caused by Oh Jeong-hui's appointment at this year's book fair."

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]