President Lee Jae-myung said on Sept. 11 that the government would review institutional measures to support a minimum livelihood for artists. He added that France's SOFICA scheme, which offers tax relief on investment in audiovisual content, would be actively considered.

SOFICA is a French arrangement under which individual investors who put money into film and audiovisual production investment vehicles receive income tax deductions. Designed as a channel drawing private capital into cultural production, it has been cited in Europe as a device for sustaining domestic audiovisual industries.

Artist income has long been an unresolved issue. Performance, exhibition and audiovisual work pays by project with long gaps, which critics say fits poorly with social insurance frameworks premised on fixed salaries.

The government already operates artist employment insurance and creative preparation grants, but eligibility requirements and payment periods have drawn criticism for low practical impact on the ground.

Funding and scope are the crux. A minimum livelihood guarantee varies greatly in scale depending on eligibility criteria, while a tax relief approach requires verification that investment incentives actually reach production budgets.

Detailed design is expected to emerge from consultations between the culture and finance ministries. Whether and in what form the measures are adopted should take shape during budget preparation.