SEOUL, November 05 (AJP) - South Korea and ASEAN will put human creative sovereignty at the center of cultural intellectual property talks in Manila this week as artificial intelligence and digital technologies reshape how creative works are produced and distributed, the Culture Ministry said Thursday.
The ASEAN-Korea Innovative Culture Forum 2026 will be held at the Ayala Museum in Manila on Nov. 7, bringing together officials, industry executives, academics and young creators from South Korea and 11 ASEAN countries.
This year’s forum focuses on cultural intellectual property, or IP, under the theme of valuing human creativity and imagination.
The issue has taken on greater urgency as AI and digitalization blur traditional boundaries around authorship, distribution and the commercial use of creative works.
The ministry said the discussions will examine how creators’ rights can be protected while cultural ideas and works are developed into broader social and commercial value.
Kim Chang-seop, deputy head of Nexon Korea’s MapleStory division, will deliver the keynote address, sharing the company’s experience in developing creative works into intellectual property.
The forum will then split into four sessions covering policy, industry, regional cooperation and young creators.
Policy experts from ASEAN and South Korea will discuss how governments can build sustainable cultural IP ecosystems, while industry representatives from Vietnam, Singapore and Myanmar will examine how cultural ideas can be expanded into content and commercial value.
A separate cooperation session will focus on how cultural resources can generate value across national borders, with participants from Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Laos and South Korea.
The youth session will bring the debate closer to creators themselves.
Filipino actor and singer Elijah Canlas will discuss his experience building intellectual property as a young cultural creator, while a youth team from South Korea, Brunei, Indonesia and Cambodia will present proposals on responsible use of cultural IP and future ASEAN-Korea cooperation.
The forum is part of a broader effort to move the discussion beyond a one-day conference.
An exhibition titled “Gathering Point” will run at the Ayala Museum from Nov. 7 to 13, featuring eight artists from South Korea and Southeast Asia. The exhibition explores how everyday ideas and cultural experiences can be transformed into new creative and economic value.
More significantly, South Korea and ASEAN will launch a working-level cultural innovation consultative group on Nov. 8.
Representatives from 13 cultural and creative institutions across South Korea and the 11 ASEAN countries will discuss potential joint projects and priorities for 2027.
The ministry said it plans to develop the group into a continuing platform for cooperation among cultural institutions, giving the forum a mechanism to carry discussions on cultural IP into concrete projects.
The forum was launched in 2020 following calls for more sustained cultural exchanges after the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit. This year marks its seventh edition.
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