Girl group TWICE in concert. (Photo courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s new culture minister offered a stark warning on Thursday, saying that behind the glittering image of K-pop, K-drama and other cultural exports lies a fragile industry infrastructure at risk of collapse.
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young speaks during a press conference at a Seoul theater on Sept. 4, 2025, to mark one month since he took office. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
At his first press conference since taking office, Choi Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism, said he was “shocked” by the gap between K-culture’s global image and the realities he has observed on the ground.
“There are many voices in the field saying, ‘This is the peak,’” he said. “If we keep celebrating as though it were a festival, we may soon find ourselves in a quagmire.”
Choi singled out the film industry as especially imperiled. Fewer than 20 films with budgets above 3 billion won ($2.2 million) are in production this year, he noted, leaving many professionals unable to secure steady work.
He cited the example of director Lee Chang-dong, who was forced to return government funding for a new project after failing to attract private investment, eventually turning to Netflix.
Lee Chang-dong, a master of Korean cinema, offered his view on why so-called K-content has captivated audiences worldwide: ‘Each Korean director has a distinct style and character, and there is a vitality in our content that others lack. This comes from the history of Korean lives — the trajectory of survival through hardship, which has transformed the negative force of han into a collective strength. Perhaps that is the secret behind its global appeal.’ (Photo courtesy of the Jeonju International Film Festival Organizing Committee)
Foreign studios eager to co-produce in Korea are also hitting barriers, Choi said, lamenting that “the government has not a penny of budget” to support such collaborations. “K-culture doesn’t always have to be ‘made in Korea,’ it can also be ‘made with Korea,’” he added, “but there is no funding for the ‘with Korea.’”
The minister also pointed to shortages of performance venues, saying foreign fans often arrive in Korea — touted as the “mecca of K-pop” — only to find there are too few theaters for live shows. “Public funding needs to act as a primer,” he said, “but it feels as though too little attention has been paid.”
Choi concluded that expanding cultural budgets is essential if Korea is to sustain its global momentum. Next year’s cultural spending is set to rise 9.2 percent from 2024, but he said the nation remains in the lower-middle tier among OECD countries in terms of cultural funding. “Conditions are poor compared with our achievements,” he said. “We must manage this golden opportunity carefully so it is not wasted.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
