Park Geun-hye Supplement VIIII

Korean New Minister of Culture reviews his Goal of Culture Development

Newly appointed Minster of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, Mr. Yoo Jinryong, has reviewed his new goal of administration “The new Administration, as seen in its administrative vision of a New Era of Hope and Happiness, has placed individual happiness as the top administrative priority and set Cultural Renaissance as one of the three guiding principles in realizing the vision. The goal of the new Administration is predicated on the perception that even though Korea stands on the threshold of the ranks of advanced countries by having achieved industrialization and democratization over the years, the quality of life and the level of happiness of individuals have not been on a par with that.” Evaluating the social phenomena the over-focus of economic growth and neglect of living quality, Minister Yoo pointed out “Efforts to achieve cultural renaissance can begin by promoting culture that embraces the value of decency and by restoring and developing a community where people actively show consideration for others, share, communicate and build trust.”

Coming to the significance of culture to happiness for people, he added “Among many administrative fields, culture in particular is the crucial factor in realizing happiness for the people in that it represents the values and goals of a community and determines the quality of individual lives. For this reason, the focus of culture administration should be placed on improving the quality of life and enhancing the level of happiness by making the most of the inherent power and value of culture. Taking this a step further, we should take the lead in helping create a world where people can make peace with each other and live harmoniously together through culture. In the process of realizing the goals pursued by the new Administration such as a creative economy, employment and welfare, safety and unity as well as the foundation of reunification, the creativity and diversity of culture as well as its capacity to encourage empathy and communication will play a more important role than anything else.”

Concluding the recent accomplishments of Korean culture, Minister Yoo Jinryong explained “Thanks to the efforts of people working in such areas as culture, sports and tourism so far as well as public interest, we have been able to reap many accomplishments. The Korean Wave, which was triggered mainly by dramas and K-pop, has come to encompass many other genres of culture, reaching now an increased number of people all across the world. When it comes to tourism, the number of tourists visiting Korea every year has surpassed the 10 million mark, which shows that Korea is now establishing itself as a tourism powerhouse. On top of this, the nation’s standing as a sports power has been elevated; Korea obtained the best results in its Olympic history by finishing fifth in the medal standings at the London Olympics and won the bid to play host to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang.”

Yoo Jinryong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, acquired his Bachelor’s Degree at Seoul National University at Department of Commerce and Trade and Doctorate in Public Administration of Hanyang University. He has worked as Dean of Hallyu Graduate School at Catholic University of Korea and Vice-Minister of Culture and Tourism