Government Sees Screen Quota Inevitable, to Talk with Film Industry

Prime Minister Kim Jin-pyo, who concurrently serves as Minister of Finance and Economy, said on June 14 that he would talk with the Korean film industry concerning its vehement objection to the screen quota system so as to close out the Bilateral Investment Treaty with the U.S.

Appearing on the KBS TV program `Late Night Debate’, Kim pointed out that they had “initiated negotiations on the bilateral treaty in 1998, but had to recant on the earlier position facing strong opposition from the film industry.”

“The domestic film industry has increased its share of the entire pie since then for the last five years and has become more competitive,” Kim said. “The government plans to provide support for Korean films to advance into the global market.”

Kwang-Hyun Kim kkh@donga.com