Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Controversy Over Appointment of Foundation Head Involved in Blacklist Scandal

It has recently come to light that Yoo In-chon, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, appointed an individual involved in the "cultural and artistic blacklist incident" during the Park Geun-hye administration as the head of a foundation under the ministry, sparking controversy.

As this information was revealed through the media, criticism arose regarding his "cronies' appointment," leading Minister Yoo to announce his resignation on the 25th and to abstain from attending the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee meeting.

According to a report by the Kookmin Ilbo on the 23rd, Minister Yoo appointed Woo Sang-il, former head of the Arts Bureau of the Ministry, as the first president of the newly established "Foundation for National Cultural Spaces" on May 9 of last year.

The Foundation for National Cultural Spaces is a government institution directly under the Ministry of Culture, with a board consisting of five members, including the head of the Arts Bureau, as well as representatives from the Seoul Arts Center, the National Theater, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Arts Management Support Center.

According to the ministry's nonprofit corporation status, the foundation was granted establishment approval on December 9 of last year and aims to manage and operate national cultural and artistic facilities, including the Danginri Cultural Creation Factory, as well as to create and provide cultural spaces. The foundation is registered at Culture Station Seoul 284, a complex cultural space near Seoul Station (1 Tongil-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul).

Currently, the foundation's website does not provide any information such as an introduction or announcements.

Cultural Sector Resists Appointment of Individual Involved in Blacklist

Woo Sang-il, the former director at the center of the controversy, received a one-month suspension in 2017 for reporting a list that included authors such as Han Kang and directors like Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook to then Minister of Culture Cho Yoon-sun in relation to the "cultural and artistic blacklist incident." In 2014, he caused a scandal by passing a note to then Vice Minister Kim Jong, saying, "We need to steer this into a confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties," during a plenary session of the National Assembly's Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.

It is noteworthy that Woo currently serves as the Secretary-General of the conservative organization "Cultural Freedom Action," which supported Yoo In-chon despite resistance from the cultural and arts sector when former President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated him as Minister of Culture.

Cultural and Arts Sector Calls for "Major Reform of Bureaucracy in the Ministry"

In response to the appointment controversy, around 20 organizations, including the Cultural Solidarity, issued a joint statement on the 25th demanding strong resistance.

They stated, "Although a new government has taken power through direct democracy by the people to drive out Yoon Suk-yeol's insurgent forces, the malpractices of the Ministry’s bureaucratic cartel have reached alarming levels." They emphasized, "A true cultural powerhouse is not a country where civil servants inherit power and interests surrounding cultural projects, but rather a society where diverse citizens and cultural artists create and enjoy a culture of life."

They also urged President Lee Jae-myung, saying, "There are too many 'Yoon Suk-yeols' in the Ministry right now. Please implement the establishment of a 'TF for investigating and normalizing the Ministry's chaotic administration' as the first administrative order targeting the Ministry."

Image source: Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism / News1, December 5, 2014 – Woo Sang-il, Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is seen explaining and apologizing after passing a note to Vice Minister Kim Jong during intense questioning from opposition lawmakers regarding "the influence of the true power broker, Jeong Yoon-hye." 2014.12.5 / News1