The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, led by Minister Choi Hwi-young, announced Monday that the proposed Photography Promotion Act passed a plenary session of the National Assembly.
"Unlike other artistic fields such as literature, film and fine art, photography has lacked a dedicated law, and this legislation establishes the legal basis for systematically promoting the photography sector," the ministry said. "The Photography Promotion Act is expected to revitalize the creation, distribution and appreciation ecosystem of photography, a pillar of K-Culture, and significantly contribute to improving the cultural quality of life for the public."
The enactment of the law is expected to establish an institutional foundation for pursuing systematic photography promotion policies. Under the law, the ministry must establish a "Photography Promotion Master Plan" every five years for the development of photography culture and industry. The master plan will comprehensively cover key elements necessary for promoting the photography sector, including ▲mid- and long-term directions for photography and the photography industry ▲improvements to related laws and systems ▲activation of creative work and development of industrial ecosystem foundations ▲cultivation of specialized talent ▲establishment of a foundation to respond to digital technology changes such as artificial intelligence (AI) ▲protection of intellectual property rights for photographic works.
The ministry also plans to develop policies to protect intellectual property rights for photographic works, apply technological protection measures, attach rights management information, and pursue related education and public awareness programs. These measures are expected to provide stronger protection for the rights of photographers, which have become increasingly important amid recent changes in the digital environment and advances in AI technology.
The law also lays the groundwork for systematically cultivating talent who will lead the photography community of the future by designating universities, research institutes, and related associations and organizations as specialized training institutions and supporting education and training costs.
The act draws attention for including various support measures for the development of the so-called "photography industry." It establishes grounds for supporting the development of photography-related technologies to strengthen industrial competitiveness, and enables the systematic collection, preservation and management of outstanding photographic materials at the national level so that valuable cultural heritage can be passed on to future generations and utilized industrially. The ministry also plans to encourage field-level efforts by identifying and awarding outstanding cases that have contributed to photography promotion.
Industry insiders have long complained that the photography sector has been unable to grow properly due to the lack of relevant legislation. Enacting the Photography Promotion Act proved difficult, with bills introduced by lawmakers in the 20th and 21st National Assemblies failing to pass due to term expirations.
In the current 22nd National Assembly, bills separately proposed by Democratic Party lawmakers Park Soo-hyun and Lee Yeon-hee were merged into an alternative proposed by the chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and finally passed the plenary session Monday. The Photography Promotion Act will take effect one year after its promulgation. The ministry's Visual Arts and Design Division under the Arts Policy Bureau will oversee implementation.
"With the enactment of this law as a turning point, we will systematically support photographers and photography industry workers, and work to make Korean photography shine even brighter on the global stage," Minister Choi said.
