Korea to boost 2027 literature budget 67 percent to 77.8 billion won

South Korea's culture ministry said Friday it will raise its 2027 budget for literature to 77.8 billion won ($58.3 million), up 67 percent from 46.6 billion won this year, as it seeks to build on growing global interest in Korean writing.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young announced the allocation at the fourth meeting of the literature division of the ministry's culture and arts policy advisory committee, held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul. Eight committee members attended, including poet Kwak Hyo-hwan, novelist Bang Hyun-suk, picture-book author Lee Suzy and translator Jeong Eun-gui.

The increase of 31.2 billion won is spread across three priority areas: supporting writers, expanding Korean literature overseas and opening the National Museum of Korean Literature while reviving regional literary museums.

Support for writers' creative work will rise to 1.95 billion won from 600 million won. The ministry said it had concentrated on established writers until this year but will split recipients into emerging, promising and established categories to tailor support to career stage. Its program placing writers in residence will grow to 6.7 billion won from 3.2 billion won, with the number of supported writers rising to 175 from 100 and the residency period extended to nine months from seven.

Overseas promotion, run by the Korea Literature Translation Institute, will receive 34.4 billion won, up 38 percent from 25 billion won. Support for translated publication will more than double to 12.2 billion won from 5.9 billion won, with translation fees raised in what the ministry described as recognition of translators' work.

The ministry is also creating a 2 billion won program to commission translations of Korean classics and modern masterpieces that have been hard to place abroad because translated publication has depended on demand from foreign publishers. It plans to open a master's program in Korean literary translation next year in cooperation with regional universities.

Spending on the National Museum of Korean Literature, scheduled to open in the first half of next year, will rise to 23.4 billion won from 5.2 billion won. Funding for regional literary museums will jump to 4.3 billion won from 420 million won.

Choi said the ministry would keep listening to the literary sector. "As global interest in Korean literature grows, it is important to build a sturdy literary ecosystem so that these results can continue," he said. "We will continue to listen to the various voices of the literary world and pursue effective policies that can be felt on the ground."