[Provided by Arts Council Korea]
[Provided by Arts Council Korea]

South Korea will pour 93.9 billion won ($70.1 million) into grants for foundational arts next year — the largest allocation on record. The figure represents an increase of more than 30 billion won from this year's 60.3 billion won.

Arts Council Korea announced Monday that it will accept applications for its 2027 Arts Promotion Fund grants through Nov. 5. The fund was established to nurture pure arts disciplines including literature, visual arts and performance. Applications are open across six categories: field entry, literature, visual arts, multidisciplinary arts, performing arts and international exchange.

The bulk of the record funding will go directly to artists in the form of creative support grants, while resources will also be directed toward foundational infrastructure such as creative spaces and arts criticism and research. International exchange receives a particularly sharp boost, with its budget set at 4.23 billion won — more than 2.5 times this year's level. The funds will support Korean artists and works going abroad as well as programs to bring overseas artists to Korea.

Support tailored to different stages of an artist's career will also be expanded. The budget for emerging artists just entering the field rises to 12.7 billion won, while funding to help organizations hire creative and performance personnel grows to 16.7 billion won. The number of beneficiaries under that program will nearly double, from 365 this year to 690 next year.

The existing youth artist support program will be restructured into four genre-specific projects starting next year, with its budget increasing from 1.61 billion won to 2.8 billion won. The previous age cap of 34 will be dropped in favor of support criteria and content tailored to the characteristics of each genre. The aim is to create an unbroken path of growth from emerging to promising to mid-career artist.

The overhaul was driven by feedback from the field. Arts Council Korea conducted a study of the arts ecosystem with input from 852 arts professionals and held genre-specific field briefings along with 44 roundtables and consultative meetings.

The council is also lowering barriers to applying. Project names have been revised by genre to make the scope of each grant clearer. Starting Monday, an AI-powered chatbot will guide applicants through available programs and the application process. A new "personalized grant finder" service has also launched, allowing users to enter their conditions and immediately identify programs they are eligible for.

Arts Council Korea also updated its guidelines on AI use. The council revised its responsible AI use guidelines to expand the definition of AI to include "agentic AI" — systems capable of independently completing parts of the creative process. The guidelines make clear that the human artist must remain at the center of the creative work. Applicants are encouraged to disclose AI use in their submissions, though doing so will neither add to nor subtract from their scores. Evaluation will follow program-specific criteria based on artistic merit and the soundness of the project plan. Reviewers, however, are prohibited from feeding application materials or other assessment documents into AI systems.

Some programs are not included in the current application round. Starting in January, separate calls will be issued on individual schedules for programs including a script competition under the performing arts creation incubator, a literary space revitalization support program, a performing arts venue fee support program and an inbound international cooperation program. A newly introduced 7.6 billion won program to help outstanding plays and original musicals become signature works at their venues will also be announced separately.

Arts Council Korea Chairman Lee Beom-heon said 2027, with its record support budget, marks "an important turning point in building a sustainable ecosystem for foundational arts." He added that the council would "firmly back the arts field so that its grant programs can promote artists' creativity and growth and lead to a richer cultural life for the public."


shee@heraldcorp.com