The last Wednesday of every month of the 'Day of Culture' → Every Wednesday, the expanded amendment is resolved by the Cabinet

*This content was translated by AI.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Choi Hwi-young) announced at a Cabinet meeting held on the 3rd that a revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Culture was approved to expand "Culture Day" from the last Wednesday of each month to "Every Wednesday." This amendment will take effect on April 1, 2026, after a preparatory period after promulgation. In particular, the revision is meaningful in that it is a policy turning point to convert cultural entertainment opportunities into "living rhythms" rather than specific "event days" beyond simple expansion of the number of times.

The "Day with Culture," which first began in 2014, has greatly contributed to expanding the cultural enjoyment opportunities of the people. The participation rate, which was 28.4% at the beginning of its introduction, increased to 66.3% as of 2024, becoming a representative cultural flavor brand. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism expects that the expansion will universalize the people's right to enjoy culture and that the increased opportunities will lead to a substantial increase in cultural consumption, bringing new vitality to the entire culture and arts and content industry.

The "Day with Culture" plans to make it a rich "cultural venue" for not only cultural artists and industry officials, but also the people, the government and local governments.

First of all, the method of participation of private cultural and artistic institutions will be converted to a 'voluntary participation type'. All private organizations that wish to operate cultural programs on Wednesday can register as participating organizations on "Culture Day" through regular applications, which will ensure that creative ideas from the private sector are actively reflected in the cultural scene.

The existing cultural benefits of national and public cultural and artistic institutions will also be further expanded to take the lead in lowering the threshold. It plans to expand opportunities to enjoy culture in daily life by strengthening the "Wednesday Specialized Planning Program" that utilizes the characteristics of each institution. Some local governments will strengthen regional-specific programs linked to local cultural assets such as hanok, nongak, and workshops. Through this, it creates an environment where anyone anywhere in the country can enjoy their own culture near their home without being alienated.

Starting with reading content, online cultural entertainment opportunities will also be expanded. It provides a place for online communication so that people can feel the "Day of Culture" in their daily lives, and allows every Wednesday to become "My Culture Day" full of joy with various participatory events.

Existing cultural benefits such as discounts are operated autonomously by culture-related industries based on their own judgment. This is to shift the policy structure toward respecting the autonomy and sustainability of the field rather than expanding one-time support. Each institution and industry can autonomously plan discounts, events, and special programs according to management conditions and characteristics, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to come up with measures to support such private participation.

Kim Yong-seop, a regional cultural policy officer at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "This expansion and reorganization of Culture Day will be a turning point in 'cultural normalization' where the people can easily enjoy the culture they want anytime, anywhere." "The Ministry of Culture will do its best to help culture permeate deep into the daily lives of the people and contribute to improving the quality of life."

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*This content was translated by AI.