The government-led Culture Day program which offers free or reduced price admissions to various cultural and sporting events may be expanded into a weeklong program, providing greater opportunities for people to enjoy cultural activities.

Culture Day, introduced as part of Park Geun-hye administration’s efforts to promote culture, has been enjoying growing recognition and participation. A survey of 2,000 people conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism last month showed that 45.2 percent of the respondents were aware of Culture Day.

The survey showed that those in their 20s took most advantage of the Culture Day, about 51.8 percent having participated in Culture Day programs, followed by those in their 30s and 40s. However, Culture Day has yet to take root among those in the 15-19 age group, with less than 30 percent of them participating.

With more than 60 percent of those who have not participated in Culture Day saying that they were unable to take part because it occurred on a week day, the plan to expand the one-day program into a weeklong program at the end of each month will meet the needs of working people and families.

In August, a total of 1,879 arts and culture events participated in the Culture Day program, about twice the number of offerings that were available last January. In expanding the program, the Culture Ministry said it would start with public museums, galleries and theaters offering free or reduced admission.

The success of the Culture Week will depend on the range and quality of the programs that will be offered. The Culture Ministry should also ensure that those living in areas without cultural facilities will also be able to enjoy wide-ranging cultural offerings in their neighborhoods.

The government has earmarked 15 billion won for Culture Day program in next year’s budget, a significant increase from this year’s 9 billion won. In implementing Culture Week, the Culture Ministry should make sure that the greater number of programs does not come at the expense of quality. It should also ensure that various genres and varied viewpoints are represented in the Culture Week’s offerings.