Journalist
Yoon Ju-hye
jujusun@ajunews.com
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South Korea culture minister urges faster guidance as game rules lag behind AI era “Companies need to see a guide to move, but we keep only reviewing things. Then game companies can only ask, ‘Are you telling us to market or not?’” (Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young) Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young on April 30 scolded the ministry’s game policy team, saying it must quickly provide the industry with clear guidance as rules and interpretations lag behind rapid change in gaming and AI. “We need to give guidance quickly,” Choi said at the second meeting of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee’s game subcommittee at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. “Even if it’s just, ‘You can do this much for now,’ or ‘Ask us,’ we should issue as much guidance as we can within what’s possible.” The meeting brought together committee members representing the ministry and the game industry (Bae Su-jeong, Yoo Seung-hyun and Lim Su-jin), academia (Lee Seung-hoon and Hwang Seung-heum), and associations and groups (Cho Young-gi, Hwang Sung-ik and Kim Young-man) to discuss key tasks and policies for the sector. Members said the industry remains constrained by the fallout from the Sea Story controversy 20 years ago, arguing that a lingering gambling-related stigma makes it difficult to run promotions, including prize giveaways. Kim Young-man, president of the Korea e-Sports Association, said prizes are also used in e-sports and are unrelated to gambling. He said problems persist because of regulations rooted in two-decade-old concerns, citing cases in which services that had operated for 15 years without issues, including Real Farm, were blocked. Kim added that game companies in Taiwan and Japan offer rewards and urged faster action on issues that can be resolved through the will of the ministry and the public. Choi said the government is reviewing regulatory easing but faces concerns about side effects. “We should move one step within what society can accept, then another step,” he said, adding that officials are discussing how far rules can be relaxed while remaining effective and reducing public unease. Lee Seung-hoon, a professor in the Department of Game Contents at Anyang University, said restrictions on prize giveaways are making it harder for game companies to build user data. He said Google and Apple do not share user information with developers, and that marketing costs tied to those platforms rise while companies cannot accumulate data. Lee said game companies risk losing key assets beyond development, including open-market access and promotion. He added that when the Sea Story issue erupted, there were no e-sports tournaments, and suggested that even clearer legal interpretation could help remove gambling-related concerns. Artificial intelligence was also a major topic. Choi said the game industry leads IT advances and urged rapid adoption of AI achievements in the field. He asked participants to propose what government support is needed so the industry does not fall behind. Industry representatives criticized support programs as outdated. Yoo Seung-hyun, CEO of Wonder Potion, said AI has made it possible for small teams to build games, but Korea Creative Content Agency programs still reflect older standards, including residency requirements that set a minimum staffing level of about 10 people. With AI, he said, three people can now make a game. Yoo called the criteria too harsh and urged easing standards to match changing conditions. He also said there is some support for AI tool costs, but the amounts are limited even as prices rise, and asked for expanded, more advanced support. The meeting also reviewed follow-up progress on issues raised at the first subcommittee session, including cracking down on illegal private game servers, making the 52-hour workweek rule more flexible for the game sector, and introducing a tax credit for game production costs. Choi said illegal private servers would be blocked immediately through the introduction of an emergency takedown authority. He said the tax credit for game production costs should be introduced next year. He also pledged that a 120 billion won game fund, created with a 60 billion won investment from Nexon, would be focused on small and indie game companies. 2026-04-30 12:09:17 -
South Korea’s Content Industry Revenue Hits 161 Trillion Won in 2025, Up 2.6% South Korea’s content industry posted 161 trillion won in revenue last year, with growth led by music, knowledge information, comics and animation. According to the “2025 Q4 and Annual Content Industry Trends Analysis Report” published on the 30th by the Korea Creative Content Agency, 2025 annual revenue for the domestic content industry rose 2.6% from a year earlier to 161.4839 trillion won. By genre, music grew 15.8%, knowledge information 7.8%, comics 7.4% and animation 6.8%, the report said. The report analyzed 11 content genres, combining business surveys, management data from listed companies and basic industry statistics to outline changes in revenue, exports and employment. Exports in 2025 climbed 5.9% from the previous year to $14.90582 billion. Music (32.4%), film (19.9%) and character content (12.8%) led the increase. The music sector recorded strong growth on expanded overseas performances and wider global activity by K-pop artists. Film exports benefited from strong results for highly anticipated releases, while character content gained from rising overseas demand for Korean characters. By contrast, content solutions (down 10.3%), animation (down 7.6%) and publishing (down 3.1%) declined amid slower conditions in some overseas markets. Content companies also reported broad use of generative artificial intelligence. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the adoption rate was 32.1%, meaning about one in three companies used the technology. Among 810 adopters, 66.2% introduced it in some departments, while 33.8% deployed it companywide. By sector, adoption was highest in games (70.0%), followed by animation (51.6%), advertising (40.9%), knowledge information (33.7%), and broadcasting and video (31.9%). The most common use was content production (62.7%), followed by business planning (43.7%) and content creation (32.8%). Among companies that had not adopted generative AI, 16.6% said they plan to do so, suggesting further expansion. The report also covers genre-by-genre trends, listed-company performance, business sentiment among content firms and the broader macroeconomic environment. It is available on the agency’s website. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-30 09:41:07 -
Leeum Museum Recreates Jeong Kang-ja’s Censored 1970 Immersive Work "You are now inside my work." Jeong Kang-ja’s “Non-Body Exhibition” has no solid form, yet it creates a claustrophobic tension that pushes viewers backward. White smoke seeps from the corners of a square room. A red siren blares. A flat voice repeats, “You are now inside my work,” evoking the sense of being confined in South Korea’s closed society of the 1970s. The smoke, intangible but insistent, keeps rising to knee level no matter how far one retreats. Leeum Museum of Art has revived “Non-Body Exhibition,” first shown at Jeong’s debut solo show at the National Public Information Center in 1970. The government at the time, which treated avant-garde art as political agitation, forcibly removed the work three days after the opening without consulting the artist. With Jeong now deceased, Leeum said it worked to reconstruct the original using past news reports, the artist’s notes and testimony from surviving family members. According to Leeum on the 29th, visitors will be able to enter “Non-Body Exhibition” as part of the museum’s upcoming special exhibition, “Into Another Space: Women Artists’ Synesthetic Environments 1956-1976,” opening May 5. The exhibition was organized in 2023 at Haus der Kunst in Munich and expanded as it traveled via Rome and Hong Kong before arriving at Leeum. It revisits and reconstructs pioneering “environment” works by women artists long omitted from art history. Often seen as early models for today’s “experiential” or “immersive” exhibitions, the works allow visitors to step inside and experience light, sound, color, air and movement with their whole bodies. At a press briefing, Leeum Deputy Director Kim Seong-won said environment works were often discarded, leaving little physical trace. He said two curators — Marina Pugliese, director of MUDEC in Milan, and Andrea Lissoni, artistic director of Haus der Kunst — restored the lost works one by one after three years of research. Full-scale reconstructions include Yamazaki’s “Red,” along with environment works from about 50 years ago by Judy Chicago, Lygia Clark, Laura Grisi and Lea Lublin, among others. Pugliese said the team began by reviewing magazine coverage from the period, then visited institutions where the environment works were produced to see whether photographs remained. For artists who had died, she said, they searched for interview materials and other records. She added that women artists in the past often struggled to fully realize what they wanted to express because galleries invested little and sales were rare. For living artists, she said, the team focused on realizing ideas that had been conceived but not properly executed at the time; for deceased artists, it focused on detailed re-creations of past works. Jeong’s “Non-Body Exhibition” followed a similar path. The museum said it had difficulty identifying a South Korean woman artist who presented environment work between 1956 and 1976, searching across fields including crafts and architecture before finding Jeong’s piece. Restoration was also challenging, Leeum said, because documentation was limited and the artist had died. The museum reviewed articles, notes and on-site photographs and conducted extensive verification, including meetings with family members and acquaintances, to get as close as possible to the original. Kim said there were no drawings, exact measurements, descriptions or instructions. He said the line “You are now inside my work” was originally Jeong’s own voice, but no tape survived; the museum used AI to recreate the voice based on her recorded speech. Lissoni said that among the versions presented so far, he was most proud of the one at Leeum. He said it clearly shows the period the organizers set — 1956 to 1976 — and presents works they had not been able to examine under the same criteria. Kim said the exhibition is notable for highlighting women artists who played a formally important role in the development of contemporary art history. "Exhibitions about women artists can easily fall into a trap. Social and cultural or psychological theories can bury the art itself," Kim said. "The two organizers pinpointed the core in a professional, elegant and refined way. It’s at a level where even children can immediately respond to what contemporary art is. It has professional and art-historical value, and yet it’s also popular. You could say it catches two rabbits at once." The exhibition runs May 5 through Nov. 29 at Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul’s Yongsan district. 2026-04-29 14:49:17 -
Korea Creative Content Agency Earns Top Shared-Growth Rating for Fourth Straight Year The Korea Creative Content Agency said Tuesday it received a top rating for the fourth consecutive year in the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ 2025 evaluation of shared growth by public institutions. Among 133 institutions assessed, the agency maintained the highest grade and posted the top score among other public institutions, it said. The agency credited efforts including building an innovation ecosystem for the content industry using artificial intelligence; creating a cooperation framework between over-the-top streaming platforms and small and midsize broadcast and video production companies; expanding cross-industry collaboration opportunities centered on content intellectual property through a character licensing fair; and strengthening shared-growth programs based on environmental, social and governance management, it said. The agency also operates business centers overseas that serve as local hubs for small and micro content companies. It said it used the global reach of K-content to broaden overseas demand in related industries such as food, consumer goods and tourism, helping open new export channels. “This result reflects our steady efforts to spread a culture of shared growth and cooperation across the content industry,” said Yoo Hyun-seok, acting president of the agency. “We will continue to actively support small and midsize companies so they can grow into core players in the content industry.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 09:38:15 -
New Books Spotlight: 'The Market Was Never Cold' and 'To the Young Person Asking About Life' The Market Was Never Cold= Luigino Bruni, translated by Lee Garam and others, Bokdodum. Drawing on history, philosophy, biblical studies and anthropology, Bruni argues that mainstream economics — often symbolized by the “invisible hand” — has limits when it treats markets as purely cold and efficient. He challenges modern economic logic that prioritizes efficiency above all else and calls for restoring the market economy’s “human face.” Bruni, an economics professor at LUMSA University in Rome and a leading scholar of civil economy, traces roughly 1,000 years of history from the Middle Ages to the present. He revisits the Franciscan movement’s emphasis on fraternity and argues that ties such as trust, solidarity, friendship and mercy — often overlooked by mainstream economics — are core elements that sustain markets. He says modern economics elevated efficiency while pushing relationships and emotions out of market life. The result, he argues, was material abundance alongside broader unhappiness driven by the loss of relationships. Bruni describes market exchange as evolving over time from relationship-based giving and receiving to contract-based trade among strangers, and says trust, friendship and cooperation are decisive for economic sustainability. He calls for restoring humanity to the center of economics through “philia” — friendship among peers — and “agape,” love given without expecting anything in return, as a way to answer the basic question of how to live well together. “When the parties’ income or bargaining power objectively places them in a situation of economic inequality, can we create a market relationship with fraternity? Some may think not. To find an answer, let’s return to Smith’s example of the customer and the baker. For instance, if the baker works at a small bakery in the suburbs and the customer is a wealthy city banker, can their relationship be called ‘fraternal’? (omitted) If civil society wants to develop feelings of friendship and mutual aid, it should encourage its members to be well-disposed even toward people who are different from them in many ways, including economically. Even if we make a very critical judgment of the given social and economic system, no one can tell us not to experience certain economic encounters here and now as brothers.” (pp. 334–335) To the Young Person Asking About Life=Seo Jae-gyeong, Kimyoungsa From Hermann Hesse’s “Demian” to Yu Seong-ryong’s “Jingbirok,” the author recommends 100 books meant to serve as guides when readers lose their sense of direction. As the title suggests, the selections are aimed at young people facing questions at life’s crossroads, drawing on philosophy, history and literature. Seo says a “map of the mind” formed through reading can become both a way of seeing the world and a marker along life’s journey, offering encouragement to find direction rather than urging speed. The book is organized into seven “paths,” including: a heart that bends but does not break; light that reflects one another; the power to see beyond; reading the direction of the wind; how the world’s forces move; big waves made by small wingbeats; and skills for enduring life. Readers can choose sections based on taste or pick specific titles. Seo’s summaries are intended to help before reading and to help readers review and reflect afterward. “Kafka’s existential literature reaches its peak in ‘The Metamorphosis.’ The anxiety that, the moment a person loses a place in society, the meaning of existence can be erased as well reflects the existential condition of modern people. Gregor, turned into an insect, is not only a literary figure but can be another self-portrait of those easily labeled in the real world as incompetent, left behind, irregular workers or the unemployed. It is also a passage that overlaps with the image of an unemployed breadwinner within a modern Korean family. The work sends a gaze of compassion and understanding toward such people, while also making the reader reflect on their own gaze.” (pp. 55–56) 2026-04-28 15:55:34 -
Lee Beom-heon Elected Chair of Arts Council Korea Arts Council Korea (ARKO) said Lee Beom-heon, a special-appointed professor at Shinhan University, was elected as its ninth chair at an extraordinary meeting held on the 27th. The term for the ninth committee, including the new chair, is three years (2026.4.27.~2029.4.26.). ARKO convened the extraordinary meeting with the ninth-term members appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. All 11 members attended, including eight newly appointed members and three members whose terms are still in effect. The chair was chosen by an internal vote. Born in 1963, Lee majored in East Asian painting at Hongik University and earned a master’s degree at its graduate school. He has held posts including 24th chair of the Korea Fine Arts Association (2017~2020), special adviser for culture and arts to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (2019~2024), and 28th president of the Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations of Korea (2020~2024). He is currently a special-appointed professor at Shinhan University. ARKO said an inauguration ceremony for the ninth chair is scheduled for the 28th at ARKO Hall at its headquarters in Naju. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 17:53:51 -
K-Musical Industry Urges Overhaul of Outdated Standard Contracts to Protect New Creators "Too many young people don’t know how much they can earn before a premiere, how long it will take, or what they’ll be responsible for. We’re still using a standard contract from more than 10 years ago, and there aren’t even specific amounts or average rates," writer Han Jeong-seok said. At the second meeting of the Musical Theater Subcommittee of the Arts and Culture Policy Advisory Committee on April 27 at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, participants repeatedly said revising standard contracts is urgent for the sustained growth of K-musicals. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young and musical-theater experts discussed ways to strengthen the industry, including improving standard contracts, building dedicated space for original productions, developing talent and supporting overseas expansion. Han criticized what he called a “black-box” contracting environment that he said has become a barrier to entry. He said webtoons, screenplays and films have standard rates for new creators, allowing them to plan their lives, but musical theater does not. He added that creators often sign first because it is hard to judge whether terms are fair, only to realize later the deal was unfavorable. Producers also voiced concern. Lee Seong-hoon, CEO of Show Note, again stressed the need to update the standard contract, saying the musical industry has changed rapidly while a contract drafted 10 years ago is still treated as the standard. He said the very concept of “standard” needs to be strengthened. Choi asked detailed questions about conditions in the field, including whether rates vary widely and whether they differ sharply by work, individual or production company. He said it is necessary to build a solid ecosystem. "When people decide to invest their lives, youth and talent, and when they challenge a dream, uncertainty and unpredictability are not signs of a healthy ecosystem," Choi said. "It seems important to help talented people enter the musical-theater field. I will gather opinions and consider what the government can do to help." Participants also raised the need to expand infrastructure for original premiere musicals, described as seeds for the industry’s future. They proposed using sites such as the Seogye-dong complex cultural space under development or idle land at the Danginri power plant to create a dedicated theater for original premieres. Choi said it is true that premiere productions have difficulty renting theaters and promised active support so more original premieres can be staged.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 16:04:47 -
Korea Publishing Advisers Warn of AI-Driven Web Novel Competition, Seek Bigger Budget “Publishers in China, Japan and India seem to be moving to enter Korea in earnest by pushing AI-assisted web novels,” said Kwon Tae-wan, CEO of KW Books. “They translate with AI and then have professional translators review it, and they plan to export large volumes of e-books. But we can’t get into those markets.” “In the literary world, there’s a lot of discussion about how to protect authors’ creative works,” said Hong Young-wan, chairman of the Korea Publishers Association. The comments came April 27 at the second meeting of the Publishing Subcommittee of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee, held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, where participants discussed ways to revitalize the publishing market. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young and subcommittee members reviewed progress on proposals raised at the first meeting and debated future policy directions. Several participants said artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the publishing business. Kwon said lower production barriers enabled by AI are prompting publishers in Japan, China, India and the United States to export not only best sellers but also titles with moderate sales potential to Korea. “AI-produced and AI-translated content is coming into Korea quickly,” he said. He added that the web novel industry had managed to endure a difficult past one to two years largely because Korea, as the genre’s originator, benefited from rising overseas revenue. He said that edge could shrink. Concerns about copyright infringement tied to AI were also raised. Hong said the issue is highly contentious and views may differ by field, calling on the ministry to prepare broader discussions. Choi said the ministry would work to create guidelines and build consensus on what uses of AI are acceptable. The meeting also covered book-purchase support through the Youth Culture and Arts Pass, ways to introduce tax credits for publishing content production costs, and the size of government support for publishing. Hong said the association’s policy discussions and input from 13 publishing company heads indicated more than 400 billion won is needed for publishing support. He said current support is about 60 billion won, far less than the 86 billion won each allocated to film and games. Hong also argued that money collected from penalties should bolster publishing support, citing the Fair Trade Commission’s recent decision to impose about 330 billion won in fines on six paper companies over alleged price collusion. He said the publishing industry bore losses from the collusion but has no way to be compensated. “We don’t know how much of the 300 billion won in penalties the FTC will actually collect, but if it isn’t reflected in a publishing fund, it’s an ineffective policy,” he said. Choi said he would discuss how to handle publishing industry damage confirmed in the case, including through fines and other measures. Calls were also made to support exports of children’s books. Kim So-young, CEO of Munhakdongne, referred to the musical ‘Long Long Night’ that President Lee Jae-myung recently watched, saying children’s storybooks tend to export well when linked with performances. She said policy support is needed, including legal advice on copyright and help with licensing rights. The Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee, launched in November last year under the culture minister, has nine subcommittees covering literature, theater and musicals, fine arts and other fields. 2026-04-27 12:27:19 -
‘Dream Orchestra’ to Stage 47 Concerts Nationwide in May With 2,500 Youth Performers The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service will present the 2026 Dream Orchestra self-reliance hub project, titled ‘Dream Festival,’ across the country throughout May. According to the service on the 27th, the event will mark Family Month and UNESCO World Arts Education Week with 47 performances in 44 regions nationwide. About 2,500 children and teen musicians, along with related staff, are set to take part, offering orchestra concerts designed to be shared with local communities. Dream Orchestra is an arts education program that supports children and teenagers through ensemble training, aiming to build cooperation and help them grow into healthy citizens. Since its launch in 2011, it has expanded to 60 regions, with about 3,800 members currently active. Forty-five organizations continue operating through local government support after national funding ended. ‘Dream Festival’ is a planning project led by Dream Orchestra self-reliance hubs. Each hub organizes its own performance to share young musicians’ growth with the community. This year’s theme is ‘Tomorrow of Dream Orchestra is ○○.’ Performers will include the required piece, ‘My Tomorrow,’ a 15th-anniversary original composition by Choi Woo-jung. Programs will reflect local characteristics, including stages linked to regional festivals, neighborhood-focused concerts, outdoor performances and traveling concerts. Organizers said they will strengthen visits to sites such as special schools, nursing facilities and welfare institutions to broaden access beyond traditional venues and bring music to more parts of the community. Im Jin-taek, head of the service, said it will continue supporting children and teenagers so they can grow through arts and culture, and so the public can access arts education in everyday life.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 09:27:16 -
Korea to Recruit Projects for 2026 Global Game Localization Support Program The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency said they will accept applications from April 27 to May 8 for projects to join the “2026 Global Game Localization Support (Overseas User Testing)” program. To help Korean games preparing to enter overseas markets improve local-market fit, KOCCA will support overseas user testing (FGT) across five regions: North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America. Selected projects will receive three rounds of overseas user testing: one offline session and two online sessions. For each online round, at least 100 local users will participate, and feedback will be collected in a structured way under real-use conditions. KOCCA said it will design the evaluations through a pre-assessment and review factors such as language, difficulty and immersion with key local users. Based on the results, it will analyze each game’s localization level and market potential and provide materials outlining recommended improvements. The program is open to game projects developed by Korean game developers seeking a direct overseas release, provided the project has no official release history in the region applied for as of the announcement date. Projects may apply if they have been released in other overseas regions or in Korea, as long as they have not been released in the target region and have a “playable build” suitable for overseas user testing (FGT). Applications can be submitted online through the KOCCA website. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 09:13:38