ABSTRACT
Cultural policy scholars in the existing patron states frequently make sense of the culture-democracy relationship in the frameworks of 'democratising culture' and 'cultural democracy', which are two competing ideals of cultural policy. This chapter highlights the two driving forces behind the policy transformation: cultural activism that was an essential part of the country's democratic movement itself; and cultural policy's constructive response to the forces of democratisation. The experience of Arts Council Korea reveals the complicated dynamics in developing democratic cultural policy in Korea, where the statist tradition of the policy prevails and the 'culture war' is unexpectedly invigorated by party politics. With the increased freedom of expression and the replacement of cultural activism by cultural policy, the meaning of democracy was gradually narrowed from fighting for political and cultural freedom to 'institutional autonomy' of culture in the form of expert-led policy making. The democratic transformation of cultural policy was also a product of the Korean government's increased capacity and willingness.
