[Edaily Reporter Kim Una ] Although South Korea’s MICE industry is growing rapidly, it has been revealed that the government’s support budget for next year has actually been reduced. During the National Assembly’s parliamentary audit, concerns were raised that the relevant budget should be increased again to revitalize regional tourism and foster high-value-added tourism industries.
Kim Yun-deok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea on the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, raised concerns about the cuts to the 2027 MICE-related budget during the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s parliamentary audit held on the 7th.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s “MICE Industry Statistics Research Survey,” the number of domestic MICE events held in 2024 reached 179,339, a 33.2% increase from the previous year. The total number of participants rose by 53.9% to 29,239,602. The number of foreign participants also increased by 30.7% to 1,998,898.
In contrast, the budget allocated for promoting corporate meetings and incentive travel in the 2027 government budget proposal was set at 5.941 billion won. This represents a decrease of 1.003 billion won, or 14.4%, compared to this year.
The budget for supporting the attraction and hosting of conventions also decreased by 930 million won (11.7%). The budget for supporting the revitalization of the regional MICE industry likewise fell by 50 million won (0.9%).
Representative Kim pointed out that, given the significant ripple effects the MICE industry has on regional tourism and the local economy, the budget cuts are inconsistent with the government’s policy of revitalizing local tourism. He explained that when international and corporate conferences are held in local areas, they can lead to local consumption in areas such as lodging, dining, transportation, and shopping.
Representative Kim stated, “While emphasizing local-led growth and the revitalization of regional tourism, cutting the budget for the growing MICE industry is inconsistent with the policy direction,” and urged that the budget be increased during the National Assembly’s budget review process.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young also agreed on the need to expand the budget. Minister Choi said, “MICE is an opportunity to promote regions to the world and is a high-value-added industry,” adding, “We made efforts to increase the relevant budget, but it was not reflected as we had hoped during the government’s budget adjustment process.” He went on to state, “We plan to submit a document reflecting the ministry’s plans and commitment to secure a budget increase.”