JEONJU — The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Culture and Tourism Foundation kicked off a two-day roundtable event, titled "Our Field, Art for Everyone," running from November 3 to 4 at the Grand Hillston Hotel in Jeonju.

Bringing together approximately 160 artists, educators, and cultural workers across 15 focus groups, the event serves as the official debut platform for the Foundation's newly appointed CEO, Baek Ok-sun. The gathering focuses on translating key administrative goals—such as field-driven artistic growth, sustainable cultural employment, and grassroots cultural autonomy—into practical policy solutions.

Aligned with the provincial government's vision of fostering "citizen-centered growth," the roundtable aims to draft a comprehensive support framework. This includes building a "growth ladder" for artistic creation—spanning from initial creation to market entry—while strengthening local cultural welfare through high-quality arts education.

Key Focus Areas by Day

Day 1 (November 3 - Creative Support): Featuring around 100 artists and 9 professional facilitators, this session opened with a presentation by the Jeonbuk Institute on the "3rd Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Regional Culture Promotion Action Plan." Participants divided into 9 groups to discuss customized, stage-specific support structures (ranging from entry-level to growth and expansion) tailored to different artistic genres.
Day 2 (November 4 - Arts Education): Bringing together roughly 60 education professionals and 6 facilitators across 6 groups, this session centers on establishing better local settlement conditions and reinforcing the self-reliance of regional educational personnel.

Major Discussion Topics and Future Steps

The Foundation is gathering diverse on-the-ground insights to tackle critical challenges, including:

*Improving evaluation systems to better support field-based cultural planners.
*Creating effective incentives to encourage participation in population-declining regions.
*Expanding opportunities for young planners to engage in local cultural initiatives.

Additionally, the roundtable is addressing policy improvement tasks raised during a recent seminar held on October 29—hosted by Provincial Assemblyman Jeong Jong-bok and attended by Vice Chairperson Park Jung-gyu—which focused on revitalizing creative activities and increasing income for Jeonbuk artists.

"Based on the valuable feedback collected from the field, we will continue to gather collective wisdom through diverse platforms such as hackathons, discussion forums, and open dialogues," said CEO Baek Ok-sun. "We are committed to turning these insights into concrete, actionable improvements for our support programs and artist welfare."

For further information or inquiries, please contact the Foundation's Creative Support Team (063-230-7449) or the Education and Culture Team (063-230-7453).

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