Culture Ministry Announces Projects for 2012

The government is working to keep Korean pop music popular overseas and to annually attract 20 million foreign tourists by 2020.

These are the goals of some of the projects for 2012 announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism during a briefing to President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday. The briefing was led by the head of the ministry Choe Kwang-shik.

The ministry's key projects include enhancing the people's right to enjoy cultural experiences, boosting the nation's creativity, nurturing future-oriented cultural industries and promoting the nation's international status as a cultural powerhouse.

The ministry will also offer vouchers for cultural and sports activities and tours to a greater number of low-income people. More than one-point-seven million people from low-income families will receive the government-issued vouchers next year.

Cultural classes in 100 regions will also be run every Saturday with the spread of the five-day workweek system.

The ministry will also begin preparing to draw 20-million foreign tourists to the nation in 2012 and generate tourism income of 30 billion U.S. dollars by 2020.

Reported by KBS WORLD Radio