On September 13th (Tue), Minister PARK Bo Gyoon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism attended the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting, which took place at the Convention Center of the Borobudur Plataran Hotel in Indonesia. The Minister stated that the “theme of the meeting on ‘Culture for Sustainable Living’ is in fact one of the objectives the Korean government aims to realize in creating a culturally attractive nation.” He added that with a “focus on fair access to culture, based on the ‘universal value of freedom,’ the Korean government unfolds diverse policies that support the socially vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, and young artists.” PARK further explained that the international popularity and interest in K-culture stems from “not just creativity, a willingness to challenge established convention, and the digital capabilities of the K-wave cultural artists, but also from their messages promoting hope, human rights, peace, environmental protection, and a brighter future.”

In addition to the statement on culture, Minister PARK asked for international support for the city of Busan’s bid to host the 2030 Expo, detailing that “the 2030 Expo will serve as the stage to present the vision and aspiration towards a ‘better future and culture for humanity.’ He also highlighted that “Busan is the optimal location with its rich experience of hosting high-level international events, including the APEC Summit.”

The G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting in Borobudur was held under the theme of “Culture for Sustainable Living”, where the 18 Borobudur Action Initiatives were adopted, which aim to improve the social and economic role of culture and the public awareness of its impact while fighting against global challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change, further protect our cultural heritage, and enhance multilateral cultural exchanges and cooperation among member nations.

Cultural Ministers from G20 member states, including the US, Japan, and UK, as well as from four invitee nations participated in the meeting. Minister PARK also called for the support of the culture ministry representatives at the meeting from the Asian region, including Singapore, for Korea to host the “2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup”.

Minister PARK Bo Gyoon held bilateral talks with Minister Nadiem Makarim of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Indonesia on September 12th (Mon) at the Plataran Hotel convention center to discuss ideas on expanding the multi-directional cultural cooperation between the two nations, including cultural heritage registration under UNESCO, official development aid (ODA) relating to cultural content, and the fields of human resources and tourism.

On September 11th (Sun), a K-Culture roundtable was held at the Korea Creative Content Agency Indonesia Business Center to listen to local voices in their efforts to continue promoting the Korean wave in Indonesia. Local influencers, including K-pop YouTube streamers, graduates of King Sejong Institute, and honorary journalists of Korea.net took part in the roundtable to discuss the status and influence of Korean culture. The Culture Minister of Korea promised to fully commit to and support extensive cultural cooperation between the two nations based on K-Culture.