The National Assembly's audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will commence on October 7. On the first day, Park Jin-young, co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Cultural Exchange, along with key figures from Tving, Naver, Ridibooks, CJ CGV, and Netflix, will testify. Issues surrounding the government's K-Culture initiatives and the broader content industry, including OTT, web novels, and films, are expected to be discussed.
According to the National Assembly, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held a plenary meeting on September 29, approving the attendance of 15 general witnesses and 17 expert witnesses. This year, representatives from content and platform companies have been included to address unfair practices and structural issues that have emerged during the rapid growth of K-Culture.
A key point of interest will be Park Jin-young's appearance. He has expressed a desire to attend and clarify the controversy surrounding the Phenomenon project. The main issue involves the overseas trademark registration controversy related to the global K-Culture project 'Phenomenon,' which has raised concerns about conflicts of interest after it was revealed that JYP Entertainment, led by Park, applied for the trademark before the government project.
Lawmakers are expected to scrutinize the circumstances surrounding the trademark monopoly by private companies and the appropriateness of their rights. The Ministry of Culture has stated that the trademark registration was a proactive measure for overseas protection and that the rights will be transferred to a dedicated corporation in the future.
Leaders from platform and content companies will also appear at the audit. Choi Joo-hee, CEO of Tving, will face questions regarding a major data breach and measures for user protection. Kim Kwang-hyun, Chief Data and Content Officer at Naver, is expected to be questioned about the operation and reform of portal news.
Structural issues in the novel, film, and OTT industries will also be addressed. Baek Gi-sik, CEO of Ridibooks, will testify about unfair contract practices with web novel authors and potential infringements on creators' rights during the IP expansion process. Jeong Jong-min, CEO of CJ CGV, has been selected as a witness due to concerns about the industry's structure surrounding film investment, distribution, and exhibition, particularly in light of declining audiences and investment. The issue of ticket scalping in theaters will also be a topic of inquiry.
In the OTT sector, creator compensation will be a focal point. A representative from Netflix is included in the witness list to discuss the so-called fair compensation issue, which involves additional payments to writers, directors, and actors when their works are repeatedly used on OTT platforms and distributed overseas. The audit is expected to cover the establishment of a compensation system.
There will also be rigorous scrutiny of key policies from the Ministry of Culture. The actual execution rate of the 'Youth Culture and Arts Pass,' which is set to expand its support, and issues related to matching funds from local governments will be closely examined for policy effectiveness. Additionally, there will be calls for effective enforcement against ongoing ticket scalping in performances and sports, as well as the development of additional measures.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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