[2025 Audit] Only 1.7% Full Members of Korea Music Copyright Association Monopolize 66% of Welfare Budget

958 Full Members vs. 54,586 Associate Members
Welfare Support Per Person Differs by a Factor of 40

It has been revealed that full members, who make up only 1.7% of the total membership of the Korea Music Copyright Association, monopolize 66% of the association's welfare budget. Meanwhile, associate members, who account for more than 98% of the total, receive welfare support amounting to just one-fortieth of that allocated to full members.

According to data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released on October 14 by Assemblyman Lee Kiheon of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, as of June this year, there were 55,544 members of the Korea Music Copyright Association, of which only 958 (1.7%) were full members. These full members effectively monopolize major decision-making authority within the association, including the election of the association president and executives, as well as decisions on budget, business plans, amendments to the articles of association, and dissolution of the corporation.

The proportion of full members has steadily declined from 8.8% in 2007 to 1.7% last year. This figure is significantly lower than that of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (7.3%), Germany's GEMA (5.2%), and the Korea Music Copyright Association (7.7%). This is because the association's internal regulations have limited the number of members promoted to full membership to thirty per year.

Although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued several corrective orders since 2018 to expand the number of full members, the association has not complied, citing "increased administrative and welfare costs and a lack of welfare fund resources." However, the welfare budget has actually surged, rising 2.2 times from 1.986 billion won in 2023 to 4.428 billion won this year. Of this, 2.923 billion won (66.0%) was allocated to full members, while 74 million won (1.6%) was allocated to associate members.

This year, the total amount of copyright royalties distributed was 423.597 billion won, with full members and associate members receiving 43.96% and 31.96% of the royalties, respectively. As a result, associate members, who account for a significant portion of total collections, are receiving almost no substantial welfare benefits.

Assemblyman Lee stated, "To enhance the openness and transparency of the association's operations and strengthen the democratic nature of its decision-making, the proportion of full members must be expanded." He also pointed out, "The welfare budget, which is concentrated among a very small minority, should be fairly distributed to associate members through institutional reforms."

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