Film Industry to Get Boost

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

The government plans to raise a development fund for the local film industry of about 500 billion won, part of which will be collected from profits of ticket sales, yet without increasing ticket prices.

But it is questionable if the film industry will welcome the plan since they have been in conflict with the government due to the reduction of the screen quota.

"We aim to boost the local film industry so that we will enter the top five countries by 2011 with over 3 percent of the international market share", Kim Myung-gon, minister of the Culture and Tourism, said yesterday during a news conference at the Press Center in downtown Seoul.

"To achieve the goal, there are six urgent issues that we should tackle apart from the screen quota system", Kim said.

The six issues are: maintaining the diversity of Korean films, encouraging steady investment in local films, supporting people in the film industry, releasing more Korean films in international markets, improving the cultural infrastructure for those in need and revising policies and laws.

Specific plans have not yet been confirmed as related laws are still pending at the National Assembly, but ticket prices will not be increased to fund the program.

The conference was also joined by lawmakers Lee Mi-kyung and Lee Kwang-chol of the governing Uri Party, who are members of the Task Force for the Development of Korean Films, and Ahn Jung-sook, chairwoman of the Korean Film Council.