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Calls grow to overhaul artist certification system as even established professionals face rejection

Published: 14 Apr. 2026, 13:39

Bassist Kim Dong-hwan [KIM DONG-HWAN]

For the Korean Artists Welfare Foundation, musician Kim Dong-hwan’s appearances on major broadcast programs such as “Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend” (2012–) and “Inkigayo” (1998–) weren't enough for his application to be certified as an active artist to be approved.

The certification serves as official recognition that an individual is professionally engaged in artistic work and qualifies them for benefits, including employment insurance and access to state-backed support programs, under the Artist Welfare Act.

For Kim, a bassist with 14 years of experience, the rejection was a result of the foundation’s rigid criteria, including appearing in at least three broadcasts and releasing three tracks within a predetermined period. While Kim had nine music releases during the required period, he only appeared in two broadcasts during that time.

“I perform up to 10 shows a month,” he said. “But because indie bands often don’t sign formal contracts, [that rate] is extremely difficult to prove.”

His case is far from isolated.

Even established musicians have been turned away. Yoon Deok-won of the two-decade-old indie band Broccoli, You Too? and the folk singer-songwriter Lang Lee were also denied certification.

Yoon said he submitted royalty receipts from a copyright association as part of his renewal application, only to be told that the materials were insufficient.

Singer-songwriter Yoon Deok-won of the indie band Broccoli, You Too? performs at the Roh Moo-hyun Civic Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 2, 2025. [YONHAP]

“It was disappointing to see uniform standards applied across very different artistic fields,” he said.

Similarly, Lee described the process as “opaque” on the social media platform X.

“I can’t get certified this year,” she wrote. “The request for additional materials is so poorly written that it feels like I’m trying to decode an insurance contract.”

A growing number of applicants are reportedly being rejected on vague grounds, from “failure to meet quantitative criteria” to “inability to verify information.”

According to data submitted by the foundation to Rep. Sohn Sol of the Jinbo Party, 39,481 of 66,464 applicants, or 59.4 percent, were denied certification last year. Despite this, the number of applicants has been rising steadily, increasing by roughly 10,000 each year.

For some artists, the reasons for their rejection appear disconnected from the realities of their work.

Hong Ye-won, a choreographer with two decades of experience whose works have been staged at venues including the Arko Arts Theater, was denied certification this year because a promotional poster that she submitted did not list the ticket prices or running time of the performance.

Choreographer Hong Ye-won [HONG YE-WON]

“To protest the rejection, which showed no understanding of how the field actually works, I submitted a written statement instead of supplementary documents,” she said. “It was approved immediately.”

The controversy grew in recent weeks after posts on social media claimed that some applicants who used AI-generated music were granted certification.

But underlying applicants’ dissatisfaction are longstanding structural problems: limited funding for the program, a shortage of application reviewers and the inherent difficulty of defining who qualifies as a professional artist.

The foundation said the number of applications has surged this year, exceeding 38,000 in the first three months alone — more than triple the pace of last year.

However, only 15 administrative staff members are responsible for reviewing them, and the budget for the certification program has increased only modestly, rising from 1.4 billion won ($945,000) last year to about 2 billion won this year.

Experts say the system requires fundamental changes.

Kim Jeong-seob, a professor of cultural industry and arts at Sungshin Women’s University, said that while Korean cultural exports have gained global prominence, the support system for artists remains fragile.

“Many artists are forced to take on multiple jobs to make ends meet,” he said. “There needs to be a system in which professional associations — for actors, musicians and others — are formed and supported with government funding tied to the certification process.”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it plans to convene a task force this month to overhaul the certification system, including a broad review of evaluation criteria. The task force is expected to hold discussions on upgrading outdated systems and increasing staffing.

A parliamentary forum on the issue is also scheduled for April 22.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE AH-MI [[email protected]]