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The Korea Artist Welfare Foundation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold online special lectures to raise awareness of gender equality in the culture and arts sector on the occasion of Gender Equality Week.

The Korea Artist Welfare Foundation announced on August 21 that it will conduct a special lecture series titled "Special Lectures on Preventing Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in Culture and the Arts" in a real-time, non-face-to-face format on September 1 and 3.

Organized on the occasion of Gender Equality Week, these lectures are designed to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence that can occur in culture and arts workplaces, and to foster an environment where artists can work safely while respecting one another.

Gender Equality Week runs annually from September 1 to 7 pursuant to the Framework Act on Gender Equality. The Korea Artist Welfare Foundation has been pursuing artist rights protection education projects since 2015, running training programs on contracts, copyright, the Artist Rights Guarantee Act, and sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention.

Lecturers Choi Seo-yoon and Oh Ki-hwan, certified instructors trained by the foundation to specialize in preventing sexual harassment and sexual violence in the culture and arts industry, will take part in this program.

Instructor Choi Seo-yoon was a panelist on JTBC's "Difference Class" and has written a regular column on gender equality. Instructor Oh Ki-hwan serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Film at Yonsei Arts Academy and is active in content production, writing scripts and directing films and dramas.

Taking into account the unique working relationships and environments in the culture and arts sector, the instructors will conduct the training using real-world case studies. They also plan to cover response measures to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence, as well as practical ways to promote mutual respect.

The training will be conducted in two sessions. The first session will take place on September 1 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. under the theme "Prevention Over Reaction: Our Choice for a Safe Arts Workplace." Targeted at artists across all genres, it will introduce practical measures to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence and build a safe artistic environment.

The second session will be held during the same time slot on September 3 under the theme "An Equal World, Equal Us." Targeted at workers in content production fields such as film and drama, it will address how to build gender-equal relationships and set appropriate professional boundaries on set.

Participants may choose either of the two lectures to apply for. Applications can be submitted through August 28 on the foundation's online portal for artist rights protection education.

According to the Korea Artist Welfare Foundation, the cumulative number of participants in its artist rights protection education program since 2015 has surpassed 300,000.

Chung Yong-wook, CEO of the Korea Artist Welfare Foundation, said, "On the occasion of Gender Equality Week, we hope that awareness and practice of gender equality will spread further throughout artistic workplaces," adding, "We will continue to provide necessary education and support in the field to protect artists' rights and foster a gender-equal culture and arts ecosystem."

                                                                                                          Jeong A-reum