Korea to host ‘World Culture Summit’

A gathering of cultural leaders from around the world is to be held in Korea in 2015 that will serve as a “World Culture Summit.”

The plan was announced during the Presidential Committee on Cultural Enrichment’s meeting with President Park Geun-hye on Friday. If the World Culture Summit, timed to coincide with the 2015 opening of the Asian cultural center in Gwangju, is deemed a success, it could take root as a regular gathering, a “Cultural Davos” of sorts, according to the committee chairman Kim Dong-ho.

Also among the list of plans announced Friday is the designation of a monthly “Culture Day.” Starting next year, the last Wednesday of every month will be designated “Culture Day” and all public museums as well as palaces will be open to the public free of charge, an initiative that is aimed at giving people greater access to cultural assets, the government said. Movie theaters will offer discounts as will concerts and other cultural performances.

In order to foster humanities studies, the administration will reinforce support for schools. Fine arts education as well as welfare for artists in the country will be strengthened. In order to integrate culture with information technology, the “Creative Crazy Camp” will be established for researchers.

Arirang, the UNESCO-enlisted Korean folk song, will be given a modern twist while state-led Arirang Festival and “Arirang Day” will be designated to help Korean and the world better understand Korean culture.

“Even greater synergy is expected only when all people participate in it,” Park said during the meeting. “Culture can be developed according to people’s cultural imagination and creative willingness rather than the given environment. First the cultural insiders should take the lead in many events, and then ordinary people can join in. The administration will support that,” she added.

“Before, cultural policies were made top-down but this time we are going to involve everyone in our projects,” said Kim.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)