| Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism for Culture and Arts Policy Yu Byung-chae speaks during the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting held in Varanasi, India, Saturday. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism for Culture and Arts Policy Yu Byung-chae shared Korea's key cultural policies and called for closer cultural cooperation at the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting in Varanasi, India, Saturday.
The Culture Ministers' Meeting is one of the ministerial meetings organized as part of the G20 Leaders' Summit, which will take place in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 9 and 10.
Attending the meeting on behalf of Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon, Yu emphasized the importance of fostering exchanges in cultural sectors to ensure freedom and solidarity ― values that hold significance for the entirety of humanity.
He explained how the government is expanding financial support to nurture the cultural content industry as one of the country's export engines, strengthening copyright protection for creators and supporting artists with disabilities. The deputy minister also asked for attendees' support for Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
The main agendas discussed during the meeting included the protection and restitution of cultural property, the role of living heritage in sustainable development, the promotion of cultural and creative industries, and the utilization of digital technologies for cultural promotion and protection.
During his visit for the meeting, Yu held separate talks with India's Secretary, Ministry of Culture Shri Govind Mohan to discuss ways of enhancing cultural exchange and solidarity among the future generations of both countries.
“The culture ministry will continue to strengthen ties with the international community through K-culture. It plans to expand cultural events with India as this year marks 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korean and India. We plan to open a content business center in New Delhi in the latter half of this year,” Yu said in a statement.