South Korea's new culture minister on Monday vowed to boost cultural ties with Asian countries that have widely embraced Korean cultural products.
"The concept of the 'Korean Wave' seems to have been swept along with the idea that it is broadly economic and (reminiscent) of cultural imperialism", Kim Myong-gon said after his inauguration ceremony at the ministry building.
"I have been thinking of ways to promote mutual understanding with those nations that love Korean pop culture so that we can become cultural partners", he said.
The culture ministry operates a cultural exchange project, called the Asian Cultural Partnership Initiative, that invites Asian artists and plans cross-border productions of artistic events.
The program seeks to enhance exchanges between Korea and other Asian nations amid criticism that the country has been aggressively unilateral and financially motivated in its cultural relationships with Asian countries. South Korea has emerged as a major source of popular television dramas throughout Asia.
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