S. Korea to create 3,000 culture and tourism service jobs

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Tuesday it will
create some 3,000 new social service sector jobs in the fields of culture, art
and tourism this year as part of efforts to fight rising unemployment amid an
ongoing economic downturn.

South Korea's labor and culture ministers signed a pact Tuesday under which the
two government agencies will cooperate in fostering some 200 social service
enterprises in the areas of arts education, traditional culture and ecological
tourism, among others.
South Korea currently has just 12 culture-related social service enterprises,
which refer to profit-oriented businesses that trade in goods or services for
social and public purposes. South Korea has in recent years been working on
increasing the number of such firms, which divert profits towards social
environment goals rather than maximizing shareholder value.
The newly signed MOU will provide increased opportunities for workers in the arts
and culture sector to contribute to social needs through paying-jobs, the culture
ministry said in a press release.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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