Dispute over 'screen quota'

By Park Moo-jong

Marvel fever from "Avengers: Endgame" is sweeping South Korea with the American blockbuster based on the Marvel Comics superhero team continuing to set a host of new box office records.

Just 10 days after its opening, the number of viewers reached 10 million, raking in record earnings. The record-breaking film shows no sign of losing popularity with many still appearing to be determined to reserve tickets online sooner or later. For reference, the population of South Korea is around 50 million.

Behind the tremendous success of the American movie that is dominating the multiplex theaters' screens almost completely, however, are Korean filmmakers and bureaucrats who are much concerned about the "unhindered" inflow of foreign films into domestic markets.

The winning spree of the American superheroes, thus, has raised a decades-long question over the so-called "screen quota" system to restrict the days or the number of screens foreign movies can be shown on.

Apparently expecting the Endgame's monopoly of screens even before its release on the basis of its surprisingly high ticket reservation rates, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Yang-woo said introducing a screen quota for foreign films was necessary.

Earlier, a ruling party lawmaker proposed a revision to the Promotion of the Motions Pictures and Videos Products Act preventing a particular film from taking up over 50 percent of all show time provided at multiplex theaters during prime time between 1 p.m. and 11 p.m. Three other similar bills have been pending for years at the National Assembly.

Yet, South Korea does currently enforce a screen quota system that requires cinemas to screen Korean movies for at least 73 days out of the year. But it has no meaning at present and supporters of "new" regulations claim the current one is definitely not enough to prevent one flick like the final of the "Avengers" series from coming in and sweeping the market.

The screen quota was started in the United Kingdom in 1927 through the Cinematograph Films Act 1927. Other countries enforcing the formula to protect their film industry against Hollywood include France, Brazil, Pakistan and Italy.

The screen quota was introduced in South Korea in 1967, making it compulsory for movie theaters (there were no multiplexes at that time) to show Korean films for up to 146 days a year to protect the then underdeveloped domestic film industry from foreign competition ― of course, from the United States.

In June 1999, a year before "Swiri," an espionage thriller, became a smash hit, directors and actors, including Im Kwon-taek, organized a large-scale political action that culminated with a street protest as the U.S. government was pressing a long-standing demand that the protective measure be abolished.

They took extreme and signature forms of protest like shaving their hair, denouncing the "Hollywood invasion" and shouting during the street demonstration, "We must stop the imperialists from shattering our culture." Even some extreme protesters released snakes at theaters during the screening of American movies.

In just a few years in early 2000, the Korean film industry had grown to rival the Hollywood products, to the surprise of the world, pushing up its market share to as high as 50 percent. How was it possible in such a short period? Was there a "sorcerer's" stone?

It was the result of the concerted efforts of the people in the industry to make good and interesting films as well as the Korean fans' sustained love of domestic movies. More specifically, three elements worked for the revival of the Korean movie industry: talented young filmmakers, the virtual abolition of government censorship and remarkable technological developments.

The success of the domestic films teaches a very simple but important lesson: Good films attract fans.

The domestic market might have gained some short-term benefits in the past thanks to the protective measure, a sort of government restriction that legally violates the property rights of movie house owners, which is a core principle of capitalism and free market economy.

But overall, the government's restriction rather deters the development of the local industry since it prevents open and fair competition amid the latest trend of deregulation in every sector of our society.

The irony is that the bureaucrats and politicians remained silent when the domestic comic detective film, "Extreme Job" (극한직업), set a record by attracting more than 16 million viewers early this year to the humiliation of imported films.

Both the government and those in the domestic film industry have to keep in mind that good films will earn them good profits and there is no reason why theater owners should avoid screening good local films.

South Korea is already a leading country in the film industry. The idea of restricting foreign films with the excuse of protecting domestic ones is an insult to the nation's film industry. Instead of the restrictive measure, the government and the Assembly would do better to work out policies to help domestic film makers make better movies.

Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974.