Legislative Yuan Preliminary Review of Ministry of Culture's 2025 Budget, Minister Lee Yuan Says "Learned a Lot"

(CNA Taipei, July 2, 2024) After a full day of proceedings, the preliminary review of the Ministry of Culture's budget for the 2025 fiscal year was completed by the Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan late tonight, around 9 p.m. The original budget was approximately NT$30 billion, with a total of NT$10 million cut and NT$37.5 million frozen today.

Items subject to freezing include NT$8 million for media policy and business promotion, NT$2 million for the "Cultural Black Tide" project, NT$1 million for general administrative expenses, NT$11.5 million for cultural and creative industries, NT$1 million for humanities and development projects, NT$1 million for film, television, and popular music development, NT$10 million for the development of international digital broadcasting (along with a NT$10 million cut), and NT$3 million for the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, among others.

Minister of Culture Lee Yuan told reporters after the meeting, "I am very grateful to many legislators for speaking up for the Ministry of Culture. Many committee members offered constructive criticism during the process. Reviewing the budget is not just about reviewing the budget; I personally learned a lot about various sectors' opinions on culture."

Lee Yuan clarified two key review points during his interview today: first, his apology for the film "Kung Fu," and second, his statement during the review that the Taiwan Plus international video streaming platform is a "great disaster." He explained, "Actually, both of these matters, whether it's my apology or the mention of a disaster, are systemic issues."

Lee Yuan stated that regarding why "Kung Fu" received approximately NT$150 million in subsidies from the National Development Fund and the Ministry of Culture, "This work has great originality, but we allocated such a large budget, and there was no return in the end. I apologize for this system." He assured everyone that he hopes to reform the system.

Lee Yuan said that when he called the Taiwan Plus international video streaming platform a "great disaster," "it was actually a somewhat literary description." This is something that has been discussed daily since he took office at the Ministry of Culture. "Why does this channel consistently have problems? It's possible that when it was initially designed, its positioning was not clearly thought out, and there was a lack of talent. When I say disaster, it's actually a literary description." (Editor: Li Shu-hua) 20240702

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