Qualifications and Requirements for Artists, Members and Officers

This guide gathers in one place the qualifications and requirements for artists, members and officers that are spread across the Articles of Incorporation and the Society's Regulations. Where they differ, the original text of each Regulation prevails, including the Articles of Incorporation and the Regulations on the Appointment of Recommended and Invited Artists.

• Basis: Regulations on Membership and Dues, Article 2(2), Article 3(1) and (2), and Article 4.

Artists

1. Artists are classified as Young Artists, General Artists, Recommended Artists and Invited Artists. Young and General Artists are determined by age as of January 1 of the year; Recommended and Invited Artists are appointed after review.

2. Since 2024, certificates for Recommended and Invited Artists have been awarded separately in the Traditional and Contemporary categories (Regulations on the Appointment of Recommended and Invited Artists, Article 2(3)).

3. Artists who are not Full Members of the Society may also take part in solo and booth exhibitions within the Invited Artists' Exhibition (書境). The standard (non-member) rate under Article 7 of the Regulations on Membership and Dues applies to the entry fee, and further details follow the call for entries for that year.

Appointment of Recommended and Invited Artists

1. Recommended Artists are appointed from among those who have been active as Full Members for 3 years or more and have earned 10 or more award points; Invited Artists are appointed from among those who have been active as Recommended Artists for 5 years or more and have earned 15 or more award points (Appointment Regulations, Articles 2 and 9(2)).

2. Apart from the points, applicants must meet all of the following requirements (Appointment Regulations, Article 3): consecutive entries in the Society's exhibitions within the last 3 years, passing the Qualification Review Committee's review of a portfolio of representative works, 3 or more contribution activities for the Society, and no disciplinary action within the last 5 years.

3. Reviews are held twice a year as a document review and a review of works (3 representative works made within the last 3 years). Qualification is granted with the approval of two-thirds or more of the jurors, and the Chairperson makes the final appointment (Appointment Regulations, Article 8).

4. A person who has made a special contribution to the development of calligraphy culture, a person who has worked in calligraphy education in Korea or abroad for 20 years or more, or an Invited Artist of another calligraphy organization registered with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism may be specially appointed by a resolution of two-thirds or more of the Board of Directors. The person must apply (or consent, if recommended by the Board), and the Board votes only on applicants who have passed the Qualification Review Committee's document and works review. For a person who is not a Full Member, the application also serves as the application for admission, and the special appointment registration fee under Article 3(4) of the Regulations on Membership and Dues applies (review fee, registration fee and first-year dues totalling KRW 180,000 for a Recommended Artist and KRW 250,000 for an Invited Artist). Full Members pay the step-by-step promotion registration fees, and a suspended member must first pay all outstanding dues (Appointment Regulations, Article 11).

5. A person who has held Invited Artist status for 30 years or more, or a person aged 70 or over who has made a remarkable contribution to the Society's development, may be named an Honorary Artist. Honorary Artists are exempt from dues and entry obligations (Appointment Regulations, Article 12).

Maintaining Recommended and Invited Artist Status

1. Recommended and Invited Artists must submit works for renewal every 2 years, take part in at least one Society exhibition a year, take part in guiding and mentoring emerging artists, and pay annual dues (Appointment Regulations, Article 9(1)).

2. Status is suspended for failing to take part in exhibitions for 2 consecutive years or for failing to pay annual dues for 2 years or more (Appointment Regulations, Article 10(1)).

3. Status is cancelled where the person has seriously damaged the Society's reputation, where a suspension has lasted more than 3 years, where the person has applied in writing to give up the status, or where the person has been expelled (Appointment Regulations, Article 10(2)).

Members

1. A person who agrees with the founding purpose of the Society, submits an application for admission and obtains the approval of the Board of Directors becomes a member (Articles of Incorporation, Article 5).

2. Members are those who are currently engaged in creative work, education or research in traditional Hangeul and Hanja calligraphy, contemporary calligraphy, calligraphy design, wood carving, seal carving and literati painting, ink painting (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo), folk painting and the like, or who are keenly interested in volunteer activities sharing their talents with communities or individuals, and who have completed the prescribed admission procedure and paid annual dues.

3. Members are divided into Annual Members, who pay annual dues every year, and Lifetime Members, who have paid lifetime dues and are permanently exempt from annual dues (Regulations on Membership and Dues, Article 2(1)).

4. Full Members are Young, General, Recommended and Invited Artists and Officers who have paid annual or lifetime dues. Members whose status is suspended, and the Associate, Special and Honorary Members under Article 6 of the Articles of Incorporation, are not Full Members (Regulations on Membership and Dues, Article 2(3)).

5. Full Members at the Invited Artist level or above may become Lifetime Members by paying lifetime dues equal to 10 times the annual dues, and are thereafter permanently exempt from annual dues (Regulations on Membership and Dues, Article 3(3)).

6. Associate, Special and Honorary Members may attend and speak at the General Assembly but have no voting rights (Articles of Incorporation, Article 6).

7. Members may withdraw freely by submitting a notice of withdrawal to the Chairperson (Articles of Incorporation, Article 8).

Officers

1. Officers are Invited Artists who meet the separate activity standards required of officers (for example, taking part in 5 or more major Society events over the past 3 years, or committee activities), are recommended by the Board of Directors and are elected by the General Assembly (Regulations on Membership and Dues, Article 2(2); Articles of Incorporation, Article 11).

2. A member taking office as an Officer pays a development fund of KRW 2,000,000, which may be paid in instalments by CMS over up to 20 months. On full payment the member automatically becomes a Lifetime Member; a member who is already a Lifetime Member pays the difference after deducting the lifetime dues already paid (Regulations on Membership and Dues, Articles 3(3) and 4).

3. Directors related to one another within the degree of kinship set out in Article 777 of the Civil Act may not exceed one-fifth of the number of Directors, and Auditors may not be related to one another or to any Director (Articles of Incorporation, Article 13).

4. An Officer who acts against the Society's purposes, engages in disputes among Officers, accounting fraud or markedly improper conduct, or obstructs the Society's work may be dismissed by a resolution of the General Assembly (Articles of Incorporation, Article 12).

Payment of Dues and Status Management

1. As a principle, annual dues are paid by January 31 each year (Regulations on Membership and Dues, Article 5(1)).

2. If the current year's annual dues are unpaid, the powers needed for member activities are restricted; if dues are unpaid for 2 consecutive years, membership is suspended; and if dues are unpaid for 3 consecutive years, the Chairperson may expel the member by resolution of the Board of Directors under Article 9 of the Articles of Incorporation. Paying all outstanding dues restores the previous status, and an expelled member must apply for admission again (Regulations on Membership and Dues, Article 5).

3. Registration fees and annual dues are paid through the online donation page, and members or officers can check their own payment history on My Page.

Rights and Duties

1. Full Members of the Society have the right to vote and to stand for election with respect to the Society's projects, such as exhibitions in Korea and abroad, and its Officers, and have the right to attend meetings, propose opinions on the Society's activities and take part in resolutions.

2. Members may receive the Society's materials and publications free of charge. However, exhibition catalogs are governed by Article 9 of the Regulations on Membership and Dues (one free copy for Full Members taking part in the exhibition; additional copies are charged).

3. Members and Officers of the Society must pay the prescribed admission and registration fees and annual dues, and have the duty to comply with all matters resolved by the General Assembly.

4. Members and Officers of the Society have the duty to enter the exhibitions hosted by the Society, attend its various events, and comply with all regulations, including the Articles of Incorporation and related rules.

5. Members who have contributed to the Society's development may be rewarded, and members who act against the Society's purposes, damage its reputation or fail to fulfil their duties as members may be disciplined by expulsion, reprimand or the like (Articles of Incorporation, Article 9).

6. All Full Members who have paid annual dues, and Officers who have paid a development fund, sponsorship or donations of at least the amount set by the Society, are provided with an online space where they can continuously manage and exhibit their careers and works, which is posted on the Society's website.