The Korean government has been supporting translations of Korean literature into foreign languages, but the number of state-funded projects remains stagnant, according to a report by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The 2006 Culture Policy White Paper, released on Monday, showed that the government offered financial support to 55 projects last year, unchanged from 2005. The latest figure suggests that Korea still has a long way to go before introducing its literature to a world audience.

 

The white paper said that Korea is keen to bring its domestic literature to readers around the world, and has been taking steps to ensure high translation quality. The Korea Literature Translation Institute, a state-run organization dedicated to globalizing Korean literature, has strengthened the standards for screening translations that are filed for getting state support.

 

"Even after the translation process is over, the institute has launched a post-translation quality control system in which specialist editors go over the manuscripts and make final changes to improve overall quality," the report said.

 

One of the positive developments is that the government is now working on an internet site which will provide information about Korean literature in English.

 

The KLTI is also holding a regular translation workshop for foreign translators who are interested in Korean literature. Last year alone, the institute offered the specialized Korean literature translation courses to 136 applicants.

 

The white paper also said the government’s ambitious plans to set up more Korea culture centers around the world are bearing fruit. In September 2006, the Korea Center opened in downtown Los Angeles, showcasing Korean films, music, stars, mobile content and tourism -- the first major center that the Culture Ministry hoped would enhance the overall image of Korea abroad. The ministry is working on additional centers in other foreign cities where Korean culture is drawing more attention from local populations, such as Beijing.

 

The ministry is also pouring resources into the digitalization of provincial and national libraries. Last year, the ministry completed the construction of the country’s common catalogue system (www.nl.go.kr/kolisnet), providing about 5 million bibliographies electronically. The ministry is also digitalizing texts so that people can read the full text of a book on the internet. About 20,000 titles, totaling 7.3 million pages, were converted into electronic texts last year, and people can access the texts at www.nl.go.kr or www.dlibrary.go.kr The white paper said the public campaign to share inter-class cultural experiences is also going smoothly. The Roh Moo-hyun administration has long placed emphasis on fair distribution of wealth, and promoted the campaign as one of his most successful policies, targeting the underprivileged.

 

"The major achievements in the cultural sector in 2006 were greater support for cultural activities of social minority groups, stronger culture-related education and an expansion of programs devoted to spreading Korean culture across the globe," the white paper said.

 

The campaign organized 7,063 programs last year, attracting about 4.2 million people. The number of cultural facilities such as libraries, performance stages, museums and art galleries also rose to 1,554 last year, up 6.8 percent from 2005.