Poet Makes Cheeky Offer to Promote Hotel in Return for Complimentary Stay

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Earlier this month, South Korean poet Choi Young-mi caused a storm after publicly posting a plea on her Facebook to ‘five-star hotels, preferably with a swimming pool’ to let her stay for free for a year, while offering in exchange to become an honorary ambassador to promote the hotel.

Choi’s rather unusual request, which came after she was informed by her landlord that she was soon to be evicted, attracted a significant media attention, with many branding the artist’s move as ‘cheap’ and ‘desperate’, and accusing her of capitalizing on her status as a poet and effectively begging online.

In a long Facebook post last week, the poet went on a bizarre rant about how she was being pushed out of her apartment after the rental agreement came to an end, and that she wanted to volunteer as a lifetime honorary ambassador for Amanti Seoul Hotel as she used to frequent Amigo, a restaurant at the hotel.

Choi then drew a comparison between herself and Dorothy Parker, an American poet who is known for writing in a hotel room so much so that there is ‘Dorothy Parker Suite’ named after her at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, with the Korean poet expressing her wish to take similar steps.

Though Choi has since said that her original post was meant in jest, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily, and that her landlord has now allowed her to stay one more year following nationwide media coverage and criticism, it has also been learned that some were willing to take up Choi’s unusual offer, including a couple who once attend the poet’s lecture as well as the Ambassador Group, which saw business opportunities in Choi’s proposal.

While Choi’s personal housing struggle has appeared to have been resolved for the time being, the poet’s online quip has shed light on the bigger picture of the financial struggles commonly experienced by South Korean artists, triggering a heated discussion in the media over the ethics of unconventional revenue-generating ideas by artists struggling to survive.

“It reminds me of the power bloggers that demand freebies for their online influence,” one critical tweet read, while another said, “This should’ve been discussed in private. It’s a form of abuse of power to do it in public.”

Others came to the defense of the poet with no home of her own, particularly those in the literary world who raised voices in support of Choi’s controversial online post.

“Despite a few strong expressions, it was meant to be a joke. I do think we are taking (the post) too seriously,” literary critic Park Choel-hwa said during a TV appearance on SBS.

Fellow poet Kang Won-seok complained about the exploitation of literary talents in the book distribution market, saying on his own social media accounts, “When you sell a 10,000 won book after hard work, you get 1,000 won in loyalties.”

According to data released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2015, South Korean artists on average earn just over 12.5 million won per year ($11,000), well below the country’s median income.

The average annual income has dropped even further among writers to a mere 2.14 million won, meaning it is practically impossible for most writers to support themselves through writing alone.

Amid the lack of appreciation for literature, the number of writers in employment has been on a steady decline in South Korea, down an annual average of 1.6 percent between 2008 and 2013, according to the Korea Employment Information Service.

Against this backdrop, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jongwhan earlier this month acknowledged the need to create a social safety net for low-income artists, and pledged to persuade other branches including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance to deliver on his promise.

Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)