South Korean Screen Quota Halved

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On January 26 the South Korean government announced the halving of the Screen Quota from July 1, 2006. The Screen Quota, which required cinemas to show domestic movies for 106-146 days a year (30-40% of the year), will be reduced to 73 days. The measure was met with criticism from the Korean film industry, with leaders from various groups supporting cultural diversity announcing that the Korean film industry will protest against the reducing of the Screen Quota. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced its commitment to help the Korean film industry in other ways, contributing \400 billion (US$400 million) to the film industry in the coming five years. Half of this will be supplied by the government, and half will be covered by a 5% levy on film tickets, starting in 2007. France, Italy and other countries have chosen and are implementing various measures like the Korean Screen Quota to support their local film industries. In Korea the reduction took place as the country prepares to start negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. US trade representatives have long argued for a reduction in the quota. Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)

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