Ministry of Culture budget hits record W9.63tr, with youth culture pass expanded to age 34

The government plans to invest about 800 billion won ($584 million) to expand its youth culture pass program to cover people up to age 34. It will also shift content policy financing away from small-scale, high-volume productions toward blockbuster titles and intellectual properties targeting overseas markets, channeling 2.2 trillion won into content policy finance to strengthen K-culture's global competitiveness.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday that its 2027 budget proposal has been set at 9.63 trillion won.

The figure represents an increase of 1.78 trillion won, or 22.6 percent, from this year's budget of 7.86 trillion won — marking the first time the ministry's budget has exceeded 9 trillion won. The growth rate is roughly double the 12.8 percent increase projected for total government expenditure.

By sector, the culture and arts segment received the most notable boost, rising 44.6 percent from this year to 3.85 trillion won. The content sector was allocated 1.77 trillion won, up 9.5 percent. Tourism received 1.76 trillion won, an 18.8 percent increase, while sports was allocated 1.83 trillion won, up 7.9 percent.

The youth culture and arts pass will be rebranded as the "youth culture pass" and significantly expanded. Eligibility will be extended from the current age range of 19 to 20 to cover all youth aged 19 to 34 as defined under the Framework Act on Youth. The program's scope will also widen to include sports alongside performances, exhibitions, films and books. As a result, the related budget will rise from 36.1 billion won to 792.5 billion won.

To strengthen K-culture's competitiveness, content policy finance will be restructured away from small-scale, high-volume productions toward blockbuster titles and IPs with overseas potential, with a record 2.2 trillion won to be supplied. A strategic content fund for large-scale investment will be doubled from 65 billion won to 130 billion won, while a global league fund designed to attract foreign investment will be expanded fourfold from 60 billion won to 200 billion won.

Research and development spending will also reach a record high. The ministry's R&D budget for next year is set at 177.4 billion won, up 17.1 percent from this year.

Investment in artists' creative safety nets and foundational arts will also be expanded.

The budget for artists' basic livelihood support, which stood at just 1.5 billion won, will jump to 31.1 billion won next year, enabling greater subsidies for industrial accident insurance and national pension premiums, as well as new coverage for health checkup costs. Living expense loans for artists will increase from 14 billion won to 20 billion won, while jeonse housing loans will rise from 14 billion won to 40 billion won.

Investment in foundational arts creation will also be strengthened. A regional arts revitalization project, to be launched for the first time next year, will receive 21.5 billion won. Under the program, regional cultural foundations may apply to the Arts Council Korea for support for projects backing emerging and promising artists, with national and local government funding matched at an appropriate ratio.

Budgets for regional tourism promotion have also been significantly expanded.

The government plans to develop mega-tourism zones centered on cities with regional airports — including Gimhae Airport in Busan, Daegu Airport in Daegu, Cheongju Airport in Cheongju, Muan Airport in Muan-gun and Yangyang Airport in Yangyang-gun — by linking them with nearby cities that have distinctive tourism assets. The government will provide a total of 93.5 billion won for this initiative, comprising 65.9 billion won in national funds and 27.6 billion won in local government funds.

A total of 148.7 billion won will be invested in inbound tourism marketing using K-culture and improvements to visitor convenience and hospitality. Promotional strategy will shift toward influencers and SNS, and 41.9 billion won — a 21 percent increase from this year — has been earmarked for inbound tourism promotion through major events.

Domestic travel support will also be expanded. The "regional love vacation support" program, which subsidizes travel to rural and fishing communities in population-declining areas, will raise the government subsidy rate from 30 percent to 50 percent and double the number of beneficiaries from 200,000 to 400,000.

In addition, 255.8 billion won will go toward renovating and repairing aging public sports facilities to create safer sporting environments, while the budget for national team training support will be expanded to 78.8 billion won to strengthen fairness in elite sports. The operating budget for the national team training center will also increase from 43.2 billion won to 57.1 billion won.

Kim Jeong-hun, the ministry's head of planning and coordination, said the budget reflects "the will of the people's sovereignty government to boldly invest fiscal resources, viewing culture, sports and tourism as the nation's future growth engines."