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| A logo for Korean Film Council / Korea Times file |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has openly criticized the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) over its lax management, warning that it will no longer tolerate state-funded film organization's inefficiencies.
In an unusually outspoken statement, the ministry accused KOFIC of poor financial management and unfair practices when offering film grants to support independent cinema.
"The fact that state-funded KOFIC is wasting taxpayer money and giving preferential treatment to unqualified cinemas could cause public outrage," Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon said in a statement, Thursday.
KOFIC wasted a budget of 2.4 billion won ($1.9 million) over the last five years in its attempt to establish the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Film Organization (ARFO). The organization had originally allocated a budget of 6.9 billion won for five years from 2019, but its plan to set up joint film organization with ASEAN countries ultimately failed.
The culture ministry said KOFIC's China office belatedly reduced its workforce. For years, the Korean film industry has been hit hard by the row between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in Korea and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the organization didn't reduce the number of employees in the China office until this year.
It also pointed out that KOFIC provided grants to an independent theater that did not meet the requirements. By rule, any debt-riddled independent movie theater cannot apply for the independent cinema support program. However, KOFIC provided grants of 114 million won to the unqualified applicant last year.
The film production support project has an annual budget of over 10 billion won, but the three-year average distributed funds reached only 30 to 40 percent of the total. The ministry urged KOFIC to streamline expenses and improve operational efficiency.
"KOFIC lacked effort and leadership to overcome the challenges posed by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic change in online video consumption trends with OTT platforms. It is essential for KOFIC to restructure itself to become a trusted organization dedicated to the film industry," Park said.
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