▲ Visitors look at exhibited works during the 2025 Craft Trend Fair at COEX in Seoul's Gangnam district on Dec. 11, 2025. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The government on Tuesday unveiled a five-year plan to strengthen the global competitiveness of South Korea's craft industry by expanding industrial support and promoting overseas market entry.

 

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the second master plan for promoting the craft and cultural industry for 2026-2030, aimed at laying the foundation for the sustainable growth of K-craft.

 

Under the plan, the government seeks to expand the industry's annual sales to 9 trillion won (US$6.6 billion) by 2030 from 5.8 trillion won in 2024, while increasing exports to US$4 billion from US$1.898 billion in 2025.

 

To achieve the goals, the government will support the entire career cycle of craft professionals and strengthen links across related industries.

 

It plans to operate artist residency programs using vacant houses and unused spaces provided by local governments, while offering technical retraining and business management education. A business networking platform will also be established to encourage collaboration between the craft sector and other industries.

 

To expand the K-craft market, the government will establish integrated retail outlets in areas frequented by foreign tourists and regularly hold special exhibitions of craft products in cooperation with museums, department stores and online platforms.

 

It will also expand the use of craft products as gifts under the hometown love donation program and as awards presented by public institutions. Overseas, promotional activities will be strengthened through Korean cultural centers.

 

To broaden public participation, the annual Craft Week festival will be reorganized into a concentrated cultural event centered on regional hub cities, while traveling craft exhibitions will tour the country.

 

In the longer term, the government plans to establish a National Crafts Museum to serve as the country's central institution for the craft sector.

 

The ministry also said it will seek to revise the enforcement decree of the Value-Added Tax Act so that functional craft products can receive tax benefits equivalent to those for artworks. It will also explore institutional improvements, including exempting craft products from the gift value limit under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

 

"With growing global interest in K-culture extending to Korean crafts that embody the country's unique aesthetic sensibility, now is a crucial time for K-craft to make a leap forward," Culture Minister Choe Hwi-young said.

 

"We will do our utmost to help crafts become a deeper part of people's daily lives and grow into a high-value-added industry that leads the global market," he added.

 

 

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]