Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea announced a pledge of 'K-culture' that he emphasized in his campaign video. The candidate stressed that he would increase the K-content industry to a market size of 300 trillion won and exports to 50 trillion won. He also stated that he would actively support content corporations and cultural artists to transform into a cultural powerhouse among the 'big five' of soft power.
The candidate said on Facebook on the 18th, “The future of a cultural powerhouse dreamed of by Kim Gu is unfolding right before our eyes now,” and added, “The K-content craze brought about by those in the cultural and artistic industries will be given wings by the state.”
The candidate's K-culture pledge includes: ▲ establishing a K-culture platform ▲ expanding public infrastructure related to video production ▲ increasing incentives in the cultural and artistic sectors ▲ expanding tax benefits for the webtoon industry ▲ cultivating talent in cultural and artistic fields ▲ strengthening K-content intellectual property protection ▲ and expanding support for humanities creation and publishing.
The candidate remarked, “Our cultural finances account for merely 1.33% of total expenditure of the state this year. I will significantly increase it to a level that corresponds with a cultural powerhouse,” and stated, “We will transform into a firm cultural powerhouse among the big five of soft power.”
He continued, “Former President Kim Dae-jung said, ‘The 21st century is the era of culture, and the cultural industry will be the core industry of the 21st century,’” and noted, “Our predecessors always dreamed of being a cultural powerhouse, and now we have the ability to make that dream a reality.”
On the same day, the candidate visited Daegu to hold a 'K-content industry promotion meeting' and meet with webtoon industry officials. Executives from related industries, such as Naver Webtoon, Kakao Entertainment, and Netflix, will attend the meeting.