Seoul city urges gov't to slash red tape stifling culture and tourism

Seoul city officials have formally petitioned the central government to remove three bureaucratic obstacles that they claim are hindering the capital's goal of becoming a leading global cultural and tourism destination. On Thursday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government submitted this proposal to the Office for Government Coordination, targeting outdated administrative procedures related to international concert permits, online hotel verification, and virtual reality content classification.

Municipal leaders argue that these regulations create unnecessary delays for local creative industries and erode tourist confidence.

A key component of this initiative is a longstanding requirement that mandates pre-approval from the Korea Media Rating Board for any live performance featuring non-Korean artists. Under the existing law, even a single foreign guest performer on stage triggers a review process, which could result in penalties ranging from imprisonment for up to three years to fines amounting to 30 million won ($22,077).

Although this rule was initially designed to regulate foreign performers, it frequently affects traditional Korean music and K-pop concerts as well. Officials emphasized that these bureaucratic hurdles are impeding the city's progress toward becoming a premier cultural and tourism hub.