[K-wave] Discussions over basic income for artists gain momentum: viable solution or wishful thinking?

Discussions about introducing a basic income for cultural and artistic workers are gaining momentum under the Lee Jae Myung administration.

The idea is to provide minimum support for struggling cultural and artistic professionals, recognizing the public value of artistic activities in building the cultural foundation of society and enhancing the quality of life for citizens.

The underlying question is: is there a feasible approach or is it wishful thinking?

Lee Eun-jin has the details.

This is Lee Seul-maro, a theater actor in his late 30s. He heads to work at a supermarket in Bundang early in the morning.

At this part-time job, he arranges products on the shelves before the store opens.

So, as a theater actor, why does he work here every day before his afternoon rehearsals?

The pay he receives for a single play doesn't even meet the minimum hourly wage, so he needs to earn extra money to make a living.

"I consider myself relatively better off. One senior I know, a woman in her 60s, washes dishes, and the younger actors find it difficult to afford rehearsal studio fees. Many of us have part-time jobs."

The reality is that from actual theater work, actors earn on average just over 10 million won annually, that's approximately 7-thousand-800 U.S. dollars.

The film and pop music industries aren't much different.

In the visual arts sector, average yearly earnings are only about 6 million won, or 4-thousand-300 U.S. dollars.

When expanded broadly to all cultural and artistic professionals, the average annual income is about 10-point-5-4 million won, which is still below the minimum wage, leading many in the cultural and arts fields to leave their professions.

"The collapse of foundational arts will lead to a decline in quality and progression of K-culture, K-content, and even Hallyu. Stagnation will be inevitable -I'm sure of it."

This is why a basic income for artists is being discussed.

The idea is that since cultural workers contribute to building society's cultural foundation and ensuring the public's right to enjoy culture, they deserve at least minimal economic protection.

"This isn't about helping poor artists out of pity. The work they do serves a public function that raises the standard of living. Implementing a basic income for artists needs to be considered a kind of investment."

There are various approaches.

The basic idea is to provide a fixed monthly amount to pure non-commercial cultural and artistic professionals whose income falls below a certain level.

The system should be linked to employment insurance for artists and various creative support programs to avoid duplication while ensuring that no deserving individual is excluded.

A phased implementation is also being considered.

"For those who engaged in creative work but didn't receive support this year, we need to try a pilot version of the basic income within budget limits, even if it's only for a few months."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when performances were completely halted, there was also talk of basic income for cultural and artistic fields, but nothing came of it, partly due to funding issues and the argument that there were other sectors that also needed support.

In the end, while the determination of the new administration is important,

experts stress that the public must also recognize that the efforts of cultural and artistic professionals benefit society as a whole in order for the basic income system to proceed successfully.

Lee Eunjin, Arirang News.