President to meet with cultural icons

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during an event on Friday at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet with several of the country’s cultural icons Monday at the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu.

The invitees include Park Chun-hue, who received multiple Tony Awards for the musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” soprano Sumi Jo, who was given a major French cultural honor, Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters, in May for her contributions to music and the arts.

The President will also meet with young and emerging artists who have recently gained international recognition, including Huh Ga-young, who won first prize in the La Cinef section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival with her short film "First Summer," and Park Youn-jae, a 16-year-old who became the first Korean male dancer to win the 53rd Prix de Lausanne in February.

Also attending is Kim Won-seok, director of the Netflix hit drama series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," which reached No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Non-English TV chart.

The new president has pledged to strengthen Korean cultural output.

In his inaugural address on June 4, Lee referenced the dream of independence leader Kim Gu, who once said, “The only thing I endlessly wish to have is the power of a high culture,” vowing to lead Korea toward becoming a nation where culture can truly flourish. He also stated his ambition to “transform Korea into a cultural powerhouse that will redefine global content standards through active support for culture and the arts, and to elevate Korea into one of the world’s top five global soft power nations.”

On June 18, the Presidential Policy Planning Committee instructed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, during its policy briefing, to work toward achieving a 300 trillion won ($220 billion) K-culture market, 50 trillion won in cultural exports, and entry into the top five global soft power nations within Lee's term.