Speaking at a press conference hosted by the French Embassy in Seoul on Friday, Gaëtan Bruel, the President of the French National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), underlined the urgency of protecting creative rights in both countries.
"South Korea and France are two nations that deeply value their cultural identity and creative freedom," said Bruel. "By working together on frameworks that protect intellectual property, we can ensure that creators are not only respected but fairly compensated."
Bruel is in South Korea from July 4 to 8 to attend the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN). The visit reflects a shared interest in developing joint production networks, expanding content distribution, and addressing legal and policy challenges tied to emerging technologies. He is also scheduled to speak at an international conference on July 6 at the Bucheon Art Center, where AI’s impact on the content industry will be a key focus.
He pointed to the need for updated legal tools to manage issues such as piracy, fair compensation, and the ownership of AI-generated material. "We need to rethink how copyright frameworks can remain robust in the face of generative AI," he said.
Founded in 1946, the CNC operates under France’s Ministry of Culture with an independent budget. It plays a central role in supporting filmmakers and audiovisual creators, while regulating and coordinating policies to ensure balanced development across the French content industry.
Before assuming his current role in February 2025, Bruel served as chief of staff to France’s minister of culture and previously held senior posts in the foreign and defense ministries. From 2019 to 2023, he was cultural counselor at the French Embassy in Washington, where he launched the Villa Albertine artist residency program and opened a CNC-backed office in Hollywood to promote French content in the United States.
France sees South Korea as a natural partner in this area, pointing to similarities in domestic content support, strong theatrical networks, and the international reach of cultural exports. Both countries have also worked to maintain creator-centered policies in the face of global industry shifts.
During the visit, France is expected to explore deeper cooperation with South Korea in areas such as co-production, cross-border content distribution, and rights protection for creators. Discussions are also expected to include corporate social responsibility practices that could apply across the media sector.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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