"Ministry of Culture and Yeongjinwi Fail to Recognize Urgency of Film Industry"

Film Industry Issues Joint Statement Urging Government Support... Demands Financial Aid Policies

On the 22nd, when the government strongly urged 'social distancing' to overcome COVID-19, a movie theater in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul was quiet. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jong-gil] The Korean film industry, plunged into crisis due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), has issued a joint statement requesting urgent government support. On the 25th, the Korean Film Producers Association, Marketing Association, Directors Association, and Women Filmmakers Group stated, “The Korean film industry is facing an unprecedented crisis, being dragged into an abyss whose depth is unknown,” urging the government to provide support.

They emphasized, “Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of moviegoers has dropped to around 30,000 per day, an 80% decrease compared to last year, marking an all-time low,” adding, “With cinema sales accounting for about 80% of the total revenue of the Korean film industry, the decline in cinema sales means the collapse of the entire film industry.” They continued, “Film-related companies can no longer endure and are saying farewell to their employees, who are like family, one by one,” and argued, “The crisis in the film industry will inevitably lead to massive unemployment, which will clearly result in a rapid weakening of the competitiveness of Korean films.”

They criticized, “Despite this situation, the Korean film industry is being completely neglected in government support,” and said, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council, which are responsible for film policies, seem not to recognize the urgency of the film industry.” They proposed three measures to the Ministry and the Film Council: ▲ immediate implementation of various financial support policies ▲ urgent support using government budget allocation and resources such as the Film Development Fund ▲ inclusion of the film industry in the special employment support sectors.

Recently, the government excluded the film industry from the special employment support sectors, which include travel, tourism accommodation, tourism transportation, and performance industries. The Korean Film Council has only delivered 5,000 hand sanitizers and has not presented any other solutions.

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