-Culture minister holds videoconference with 15 KCC directors-

Minister of Culture, Spots and Tourism Park Yang-woo on May 7 held a videoconference with the directors of 15 Korean Cultural Centers (KCCs) in major global regions (15 countries,* 19 heads). The meeting focused on evaluating KCC responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and discussing spreading Hallyu (Korean Wave) and attracting visitors back to Korea after the pandemic ends. 

  *Japan (Tokyo, Osaka), U.S. (Washington, New York, Los Angeles), France, China (Beijing, Hong Kong), Germany, Russia, U.K., Indonesia, Italy, Vietnam, Poland, Australia, Hungary, Thailand, Canada.

Minister Park: "Our image as model country for COVID-19 response is a big asset for Hallyu's spread."

Minister Park launched the videoconference by saying, "The entire world is rediscovering Korea as we effectively respond to COVID-19."

"Through this, we can link to COVID-19n,and new forms of Hallyu such as 'policy' and 'medical' Hallyu to pop culture Hallyu in a golden opportunity to upgrade our nation'sortunity to policyOV

"Amid the COVID-19 crisis, KCCs are undergoing many hardships in holding activities. They must, however, meet the heightened expectation and interest of people worldwide by showing an improved Hallyu and thus create new opportunities."

"Online KCCs" actively run noncontact activities in cyberspace

The KCC directors attending the videoconference said that because COVID-19 makes onsite events difficult, they are holding non-contact activities* such as posting videos with Korean content like concerts, movies, courses and exhibitions** to continuously spread Hallyu.

*Ten courses on traditional Korean culture, programs featuring Korean artists discussing domestic galleries, online classes on Korean language, pop music and food

**Photoand video contests for Korean culture, online contests for Hangeul handwriting and online folk painting

On the reactions to Korea's acclaimed COVID-19 response by the KCCs' host nations, the directors' responses included "We're getting many interview requests from media outlets of our host nations"; "Viewership of Hallyu dramas in host countries rose through streaming video services such as Netflix"; and "Competitive Korean games, webtoons and dramas are expected to see growth online due to social distancing."

The directors also made suggestions on spreading Hallyu in the post-COVID-19 era such as strengthening social media promotion, supporting video production by KCCs, promoting tourism in Korea by stressing the country's high public safety, connecting the nation's world-leading quarantine capacity with medical and high-end tourism, and using the campaign "K-culture closeness" to highlight the consumption of Hallyu content as an ideal activity when staying indoors.

Minister Park said, "I ask KCC directors to share Korea's efforts and results in overcoming COVID-19 with the world, and lead the way in narrowing the widened gap among people worldwide due to social distancing through Korean culture and Hallyu content. The non-contact lifestyle we're experiencing now offers both crisis and opportunity for Hallyu. Online platforms were formerly a medium of promotion, but we must now acknowledge and approach the platform itself as a new market.“