Culture Ministry Strengthens Cooperation with China to Protect K-Content Copyrights

Korea-China Intergovernmental Meeting to Be Held in Busan on September 24
Discussion on Strategies for AI and Blockchain

The government is joining forces with the China National Copyright Administration to protect copyrights and respond to future technologies.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the "2025 Korea-China Intergovernmental Copyright Meeting" and the "Korea-China Copyright Forum" on September 24 at Park Hyatt Busan. The main agenda includes responding to copyright infringement of K-content in China and changes in copyright policy due to new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain.

The two countries have maintained a close relationship since signing a memorandum of understanding on copyright exchange and cooperation in 2006. They cooperated during the amendment of China’s Copyright Law in 2020, and the Korea Copyright Commission expanded exchanges by signing a memorandum of understanding with the China Copyright Association last year. As a result, the scale of content trade between the two countries grew nearly elevenfold, from 439 million dollars in 2007 to 4.819 billion dollars in 2022.

At this meeting, the Ministry will request the participation of the Korea Copyright Commission and domestic companies in China’s crackdown on illegal content, known as "Jianwang Operation." The Ministry will also request cooperation in expanding royalty collection by China’s music trust management organizations. Policy trends related to new technologies, such as the use of copyrighted works for AI training and blockchain-based content distribution, will also be shared.

The event will be attended by not only the governments of both countries but also thirty-two content companies and associations. From Korea, nineteen organizations, including Busan-based companies such as Rocket Film, Masangsoft, and Arimoa, will participate, while major Chinese platforms such as Tencent, TikTok, and iQIYI will also be present.

At the private exchange meeting, Korean companies will explore opportunities to enter the Chinese market and showcase their content competitiveness. At the Korea-China Copyright Forum, Professor Kye Seungkyun of Pusan National University and Chinese lawyer Li Zizhu will analyze institutional changes, while representatives from MBC C&I and iQIYI will share their industry experiences.

Jung Hyangmi, Director General of the Copyright Bureau at the Ministry, stated, "Busan has the second largest concentration of content companies after the Seoul metropolitan area," and added, "Through this meeting, we will further strengthen the protection of creators' rights."

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