By Kim Hyun
"To the arrogant U.S. demand, the Roh Moo-hyun government has kneeled down," they said in a joint statement. Actors took turns to each read a paragraph of the two-page statement.
Seoul announced on Jan. 26 that the mandatory screening days for domestic movies would be halved from July. The new policy will require theaters to screen domestic movies for at least 73 days a year, instead of the current 146 days.
The U.S. has long demanded the cut as a pre-condition for free trade talks.
"We are sternly warning the Roh government not to become a shameful administration that our history will remember as the one who sold out our movies and culture," they said in the statement.
About 800 movie workers sat down on the passageway besides Gwanghwamun intersection, as 1,200 citizens flocked to watch the celebrities protest, according to police figures.
Buried inside a huge parker jacket to ward off the freezing cold, director Im Kwon-taek, 71, called on government officials to "reflect" on their compromise with the U.S.
"It was too impatient a decision," the prize-winning director said, "Korean movies may seem to be doing well, but the big tide under that surface is not." South Korean movies took 77.8 percent of box office receipts last month, the highest-ever rate against Hollywood, but the boom comes from a few smash hits rather than the boom of the overall movie industry, experts say.
The impressive figures, however, have turned public opinion against the movie industry. Internet polls suggest opinions are divided on an equal basis, whereas several years earlier the majority of people supported the quota system. Critics say domestic movies will sharpen their competitive edge in a liberalized market.
Concerning such criticism, Choi Min-sik, the star of "Old Boy" who returned his governmental medal in protest of the new quota policy, went on stage to defend local movie workers.
"We are in a turf war, but this is not for our own sake but it’s a turf war between Korean culture and U.S. culture," he said. His decoration was given in 2004 for his lead role in "Old Boy," a wildly successful tale of imprisonment and revenge that won international acclaim.
Representing a voice outside Korea, Robert Pilon, vice president of the Coalition for Cultural Diversity, a worldwide civic organization, said the trimmed quota only gives Hollywood more room to dominate.
"The policy is a good, well-balanced policy — 40 percent for Korea, 60 percent for foreign movies... If you don’t say ’No’ now, they will end up dominating all over the world," the Canadian, who was in Seoul to join the protest, said.
The protesters marched up to Myeongdong Cathedral, chanting slogans related to the screen quota. In a desperate appeal to the public, stars such as Jang Dong-gun have staged one-man rallies at Gwanghwamun.
With the reduced quota scheme to take effect in July, the decision appeased the U.S. government and major U.S. film studios that have been lobbying to raise their share in the lucrative Korean market.
With Seoul’s decision to halve the quota, the two countries are expected to start negotiations toward a free trade agreement this month.
South Korea’s movie industry, like that of most countries, is grossly overshadowed by Hollywood. The nation exported US$2 million-worth of movies to the United States last year and imported $35.9 million-worth.
(Yonhap, February 8, 2006)
