This paper explores the significance and future objectives of the
UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions. The Korean government and civil societies have
actively participated in the process of the UNESCO convention of 2005.
They actively supported UNESCO and other people who promoted the
convention. In addition, many culture-related NGOs lead the public opinion
to support the value of cultural diversity and resist against the United
States’ efforts to include the cultural industry into the negotiation of free
trade agreements. The Korean government’s screen quarter system became
the symbolic policy for the promoting of cultural diversity in the cultural
industry sector.
After the convention was held, however, this fever of cultural diversity
debates and activities suddenly disappeared in the Korean society. It is
partially because of the shifting concern of civil society and NGOs to the
Korea-US FTA talks. This paper, however, argues that the Korean civil
societies and cultural movement NGOs misunderstood the concept of
culture and the meaning of cultural diversity that has been pursued by UNESCO from the beginning. To prove it, this paper analyses diverse
UNESCO papers and conventions regarding cultural diversity since the
1950s.
This paper also pays attention to the enactment of the Act for the
Protection and Promotion of the Cultural Diversity (2014) by the Korean
government. It scrutinies current cultural diversity related programs and
suggests to consider and accept the concept of culture that UNESCO
defines in various papers and conventions.