Korean Wave sweeps across Asia

It was interesting for me that even the Culture Ministry is aiming to develop the "Hallyu" nore and more. This article says that the ministry will be putting emphasis on narrowing the gap between the cultural haves and have-nots.

Hope you guys are having awesome time now!! :D


Ministry committed to establishing nation's brand and image

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is pushing ahead with a set of initiatives aimed at promoting relations with other Asian nations and further enhancing the image of the Korean Wave, or the Asia-wide fad for Korean pop culture.
In the ministry's recently released annual plan, it will further spur the Korean Wave in order to beef up the country's brand and image in overseas markets. The fast-growing domestic movie industry is also helping spur the growth of Korean Wave products in major Asian markets, reinforcing the positive outlook.
The Culture Ministry is in charge of running the major programs aimed at supporting the spread of the Korean Wave and checking progress at the 16 government agencies involved with the initiatives. It will also help provide various support programs to private companies in their efforts to create new, innovative cultural content and enter overseas markets.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will put emphasis on narrowing the gap between the cultural haves and have-nots.
The areas where the Korean Wave is now fast spreading are Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The ministry views these countries as a place to encourage consumers to recognize the unique Korean culture and purchase Korean products. To that end, the ministry said it will help domestic firms to stage promotional events in the target markets.
Other markets like South America, the Middle East and Russia have the potential and are yet to be tapped. These markets lack the immediate market values for content developers in Korea, but some content like television drams and movies could spark a boom for Korean pop culture.
In the same vein, the Culture Ministry plans to increase cultural exchanges with key emerging countries known as BRICs in a bid to strengthen the country's edge in the entertainment sector.
According to the plan, Korea will pay special attention to BRICs, referring to Brazil, Russia, India and China. A host of other measures including the formation of a 300 billion won culture fund and a plan to attract as many as 900,000 Chinese tourists were also unveiled.
Field research to find new market demands for cultural content will be conducted in Brazil, whose entertainment industry is valued at $10 billion, and more exchanges of ballet and literature will be promoted with Russia.
Korea is now keen on promoting and exporting its pop culture products, including the much-touted Korean Wave movies and television dramas. BRICs nations are deemed ideal for absorbing Korea's new cultural products.
With Brazil's entertainment market expanding at 6 percent a year, Russia is also witnessing hyper growth of 18.3 percent per year in its movie industry. India's film market, known for its vibrant Bollywood productions, is also exploding with some 100 new theaters popping up across the nation, and China's media and entertainment market is seeing an annual growth of 25.2 percent.
The ministry said Korea's cultural center in Beijing will be transformed into the culture and tourism center in October this year, and the cultural centers will debut in Shanghai and Moscow by the end of the year as part of efforts to focus on BRICs. The cultural centers for Brazil and India will be established in 2007.
On the domestic cultural areas, the ministry said it would put emphasis on narrowing the gap between the cultural haves and have-nots by earmarking 53.3 billion won for the related projects.
In detail, the ministry will help provide books, stage cultural performances and offer education programs to those who have been sidelined - the handicapped, the elderly and foreign workers. Financial support will be also provided to regional cul ture centers, museums and art galleries.
The culture fund is one of the key initiatives among top policymakers at the ministry. The fund designed to promote small- and medium-sized companies in the cultural sector will start with 50 billion won in the second half of this year and will expand to handle 300 billion won by 2011.
To celebrate the 120th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Korea and France, the ministry said it will help stage a variety of cultural events including a state-owned "Korea Fantasy" troupe and a Korean film festival.
Meanwhile, ministry officials said they continue to push for its ambitious "C-Korea 2010," a set of large-scale initiatives aimed at strengthening Korea's culture, sports and leisure industry.
C-Korea 2010 is based on the three Cs of "Content," "Creativity" and "Culture," and the latest plans have mapped out detailed vision, budgets, implementation schedules and strategies.
C-Korea 2010 sets three policy objectives: the world's No.5 culture powerhouse, Northeast Asia's top tourism hub and the world's No. 10 leisure sports leader. Korea's culture, tourism and leisure industries combined are worth 117 trillion won as of 2004, employing about 2.6 million people, according to the ministry data.
(insight@heraldm.com)
By Yang Sung-jin

Film Industry Staff Launch 24-Hour Sit-In Against Quota Cut

South Korean movie workers launched a 24-hour sit-in in downtown Seoul on [Monday], intensifying their protest against the government's free trade deal with the United States on domestic movies.

Seoul announced in January it would cut short the number of days on which domestic movies must be screened in local theaters. The Cabinet will likely confirm the policy when ministers meet Tuesday.

About 50 movie workers started a collective sit-in near the crowded intersection of Gwanghwamun. Their action followed a protest by farmers in front of the nearby foreign ministry building, where Seoul and Washington started preparatory FTA talks earlier in the day.

By this screen quota protest, we want to open the gates of public resistance against the whole South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, the Coalition of Cultural Diversity of Moving Images, a group of actors, directors, staffers and producers organized to defend the quota scheme, said in a statement released at a press conference in Gwanghwamun.

Such prize-winning directors as Im Kwon-taek and Park Chan-wook and star actors Jang Dong-gun and Ahn Sung-ki have been part of the protest against the quota reduction. Park took the issue to the Berlin International Film last month, where he held a picket that read No Screen Quota, No Old Boy during his attendance as a workshop lecturer.

The one-man protest by movie figures will continue in Gwanghwamun alongside a 24-hour sit-in nearby, said Choi Young-dae, the Coalition's executive director.

The reduction of the domestic movie quota was a key demand from the U.S. as a precondition to starting free talks with South Korea.

Local movies now seem to be in their prime and dominate more than three quarters of ticket sales. In last week's box office record filed by the Korean Film Council, a public body, the top three films were all home-made -- Forbidden Quest, Oh My God and King and the Clown -- trailed by two Hollywood products, Underworld: Evolution and Wedding Crashers.

Movie workers and some scholars voice concern that the popularity of local output is temporary and could falter once the quota is curtailed.

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Personally, I'm surprised the Korean film industry is so adamant to reenact the quota. However, I agree 100% with their actions. I think if it was not for the screen quota, the Korean film industry, would not be in its current situation. I recall, Pak Chan Wook held a sign that said, "No screen quota = No Old Boy." With the supposed Free Trade Act, Hollywood is able to release as many films it wants to Korea. Hollywood is aware of the growing Halyu trend and views it as a threat. My view is under the Free Trade Act, Hollywood will pump a lot of money into the advertising of their blockbusters that it will draw the general public away from domestic films. Though naysayers of the original quota say the domestic box office is strong enought to stand on its own, I beg to differ. Recently, the film, The King and the Clown became the HIGHEST grossing film in Korean history. Beating out Hollywood blockbusters such as King Kong. The dominance of Hollywood films will become a gradual process. I always like to use the example of Hong Kong as an example. Hong Kong used to be the third largest maker of films (#1 Hollywood, #2 Bollywood). Over the years, Hong Kong has gone from close to 300 films a year, to around 40. The budget for Asian movies is substantially lower than that of Hollywood. To compete. Hong Kong began making "safe bet" movies, romantic comedies that w/ famous movie stars that were guaranteed to make a certain revenue. However, they have been doing this for the last 15 years, and as a result, the Hong Kong industry is practically dead.

Though one can argue, people will see "good" movies. Under the free trade act, the industry may not have the option to choose new subgenres. Old Boy, with its controversial themes would never be made in Hong Kong b/c quite frankly its too unique. Who would invest in a movie with such a risk at the box office? My hope is that the Korean gov't will realize that getting rid of their screen quota will be the same as getting rid of their culture.

- Alex Liu