Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young convened the third meeting of the Film and Video Subcommittee of the Cultural and Arts Policy Advisory Committee on Monday at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss major issues and future policy directions for the film and video sectors. The atmosphere was notably positive.
In his opening remarks, Minister Choi cited the film "The Man Who Lives with the King," which recently surpassed 16 million viewers, saying, "The film industry feels a warm wind. It seems to have instilled confidence and energy that 'we can do it' in many people. It was a timely triumph at a stage when the struggling film industry needed resuscitation." He also welcomed dramas such as "The Royal Consort of the 21st Century," noting, "Works that draw global attention have emerged."
Choi outlined plans to concentrate budget secured through a supplementary budget. Starting on "Culture Day" on Wednesday, May 13, the ministry will distribute a total of 4.5 million movie discount vouchers worth 6,000 won ($4.35) each per person, injecting 27.1 billion won ($19.6 million) into the program. "This will help diverse Korean films reach more audiences," Choi said.
Regarding support for overseas expansion and intellectual property (IP) acquisition that the industry has sought, he explained, "We will support international co-productions of six film works at 500 million won each." He also noted that co-production proposals have come from Italy, India and France, adding, "It is meaningful that Korea's film and video industry is receiving cooperation proposals from major countries and that opportunities are opening up."
Choi particularly emphasized that France, which will host a film and video summit in Paris in September, has proposed co-hosting with Korea. "For a country like France, which leads the international film community, to propose working together with Korea carries great symbolism and could serve as a springboard for the Korean film and video industry to leap to the next level," he said.
Still, many challenges remain. The first issue raised was the "holdback" controversy. Holdback refers to the grace period between a film's theatrical release and its availability on other platforms, such as online video services (OTT). A bill mandating a six-month holdback was recently introduced in the National Assembly, with theaters, distributors and other stakeholders sharply divided. Particularly with President Lee Jae-myung recently citing the need for such a measure, raising it to a government-level concern, there is now an atmosphere demanding conclusions.
To address this, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will launch a public-private consultative body around May 20 that will include the government, producers, distributors and exhibitors. "Because it is an important and urgent matter, we will not drag it out," Choi said. "There will be various answers, but we will discuss them quickly. The aim is for the public and private sectors to come together to save the film industry, not to play a zero-sum game." Choi stressed that he will personally oversee the body.
The need to shift the current single-year production support structure to a multi-year approach was also raised as the government deploys its budget. "I tell the budget authorities that 'I want to see a winter scene,'" Choi said. "The budget should be provided according to the cycle in which the best works can be produced in the field, but asking filmmakers to produce works according to the government's budget schedule reverses the order of priorities."
The industry also voiced that support for IP acquisition alone is insufficient in the video sector, and that follow-up support is needed to connect the secured IP with tourism and other industries, leading to secondary and tertiary expansion.
The Film and Video Subcommittee of the Cultural and Arts Policy Advisory Committee includes nine expert members: Kwak Sin-ae (CEO of Soomokwon), Kim Jae-min (CEO of NEW), Kim Hee-yeol (Vice Chairman of the Korea Drama Production Association), Baek Jae-ho (Chairman of the Association of Korean Independent Film & Video), Baek Heon-seok (CEO of EL TV), Oh Dong-jin (film critic), Lee Dong-ha (Representative of the Producers Guild of Korea), Lee Won-jong (film and drama actor) and Jung Jong-min (CEO of CJ CGV). The subcommittee held advisory meetings in November last year and February this year.
Kwak Sin-ae and actor Lee Won-jong did not attend Monday's meeting.
