Ministry of Culture Holds 4th Global Copyright High-Level Meeting

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Korea Copyright Commission, will hold the "4th Global Copyright High-Level Meeting" from the 19th to the 21st at the Content Korea Lab (CKL) Enterprise Support Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Senior officials from copyright departments of 13 major countries including China, India, and Saudi Arabia will attend to introduce Korea's copyright system to the world and review copyright policy trends in each country.

In 2023, South Korea recorded a copyright trade surplus of approximately 2.2 billion USD. With the global success of K-content, copyrights in music, video, games, and other areas have become an important driving force for economic growth. However, in the same year, over 300 million cases of K-content were confirmed to be distributed through illegal overseas sites, making international cooperation for copyright protection essential. Moreover, with the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), international discussions to create a healthy ecosystem are urgently needed.

Since 2006, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has supported international cooperation in various fields such as copyright system development, intellectual property protection, and dispute resolution based on a trust fund contributed to WIPO. As part of this trust fund project, the second meeting held in Seoul following 2023 will discuss the theme "Promoting Creative Industries through Copyright Systems amid Technological Advances such as AI."

Experts from various public institutions and related organizations including the Korea Copyright Commission, Korea Copyright Protection Agency, Korea Creative Content Agency, Korean Film Council, Arts Management Support Center, and the Korea Music Copyright Association, as well as private sector experts such as representatives from the webtoon generative AI company "Ryan Rocket," will present on the growth and appeal of K-content and copyright systems in the AI era. Foreign participants will also sequentially present country reports summarizing major copyright and content industry policies of their respective countries to expand mutual understanding for enhancing international cooperation in content and copyright.

Following this meeting, from the 24th to the 26th, the Ministry will invite a total of 19 music artists and copyright experts from nine countries including Laos, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia to propose ways to promote the music industry using K-pop and copyright systems. Domestic private companies such as RBW and Musicow, as well as representatives from international associations like the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), will share their insights. Notably, singers Park Hak-ki and Cha Da-bin will represent music artists and share their experiences with audiences worldwide through live streaming. This practical training session will be accessible to anyone via the Ministry’s official YouTube channel.

Jung Hyang-mi, Director of the Copyright Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Since 2023, the Ministry has been steadily operating a working group to improve AI copyright systems and continuously gathers domestic opinions on copyright systems suitable for the AI era." She added, "Through this 'Global High-Level Meeting' and other events, we hope to understand global trends in copyright laws and systems and strengthen cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.