China, Korea sign deal to jointly create movies

A deal to encourage movie co-productions has been struck between Korea and China.

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo Jin-yong signed a contract with Cai Fuchao, Director of State Administration of Radio, Film and Television of China, at the Blue House last week to signal the beginning of joint cinematic works.

Korea and China have been discussing co-producing films since August 2011.

The first phase of the contract was drafted in June 2013 and came to fruition with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Korea.

The agreement is expected to increase the advancement of Korean films in China. In the filmmaking process, the two countries will collaborate on visual effects as well as share on-site staff.

When a co-produced film is approved in China, it is considered a Chinese film, meaning that the movie won’t be affected by the import limit on foreign movies there.

The Culture Ministry said it hopes to expand cultural exchanges with China further while both parties plan to push joint cultural projects through various forums. The parties hope to develop cultural content, mainly films, while boosting Korea and China’s value in the global cultural content market.

By jang seo-young contributing writer