Running Head: KOREAN FILMS 1

Korean Films

by [Name of Student]

Course

Professor

[Name of Institution]

January 23, 2018.

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Summary

Kyung-tae (2015) highlighted the emergence of Korean films in the last two decades whereby the

quality and quantity of Korean films have increased drastically. Films have diversified its portfolio by

producing films of different genre and few securing international awards. The author provides empirical

evidence that Hollywood films dominate the global box offices, but Korean films have managed to

dominate the domestic market. Korean films secure slightly more than half of the domestic Korean

viewership and generating 107.7 million viewers nationwide, as per 2015 statistics. The evolution of

commercial films and the term ‘Korean-style blockbuster’ traces itself to the 1998 movie The Soul

Guardians. The movie substantially increased its production cost and added Hollywood style to the movie

which managed to secure success in the domestic market. In the first ten years of the revival of the Korean

films industry, the constraint of the budget was supplemented with unique filming strategy. The movies

cashed on the elicit sympathy of the audience for the tragic events of the history. In this way, the cost of

production was fairly below the average cost of Hollywood movie, and the viewership was significantly

higher. The action thrillers contributed to the quantitative growth of Korean films, and they were followed

by an increasing emphasis on indies and art films. The Hollywood imitation by Korean films industry is

never considered as a poor attempt due to the creative input. In the last ten years, the industry managed to

diversify the production of films by releasing some of the finest art and indies film which are commonly

known in Korean films industry as ‘Diversity Films.’ In the beginning, the Korean films deviated in

production from the Hollywood model due to its greater role of director. Later, the Korean films production

model learned from the Hollywood model and provided more power to the producer and yet the unique

feature of Korean films is the more significant role of directorship in the film making. The aesthetics of the

Korean film production is supplemented with the avid viewer interest which enables the Korean domestic

film industry to flourish at a rapid pace and benefiting from the economies of scale. Last, but not least, the

role of the government concerning creating a favorable ecosystem to the filmmakers has been instrumental

in shaping the modern Korean films industry which has the capacity to compete internationally.
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Critical Reaction

Korean films have evolved over the short course of time, and it is primarily due to the ecosystem

they have been provided with. For example, the government provided support programs to the films which

are screened overseas and providing cinema space to the Korean movies by a screen quota system. The role

of the Korean Film Council has remained instrumental in channelizing the growth patterns of the industry,

along with assisting local films in gaining overseas audience and expansion of film infrastructure. They

have also worked to improve the working conditions of the industry, initiating good downloader campaign,

and supporting low-budget independent work. In a similar way, one of the crucial contributing factors to

the Korean film industry is the domestic viewership. Domestic viewers have played a vital role in promoting

locally produced films, both commercial and indies. The patriotism in the nation has the social

consciousness whereby they learned that the manufacturing industry is not everything and they need to

focus on the services sector for increased growth and development. The realization that arts are the medium

of exporting positive image of the nation, somewhat soft power. One of the many successful strategies

adopted by the Korean film industry is relying on the films which can provide the most box-office return

and later went to diversity (genre) portfolio. It is most likely that the Korean film industry, which is in an

emerging phase right now, will become of the leading film industries of the world due to the ecology in

which they are produced. The Korean film industry has managed to learn from the Hollywood production

style and simultaneously to keep the essence of its indigenous creativity, knowledge, and skill. Lastly, but

not the least, the influential role of directors in the Korean films has provided the industry places the films

at a distinctive position, though the Hollywood model is effectively incorporated into the production

process. The Korean film industry is an example for other Asian film industries in terms of competing

globally through managing a balance between quality and quantity over the short to medium term. In many

respects, the growth of Korean films industry is linked to the increasing domestic demand for Korean films,

but the role played by the production houses is unprecedented. Korean films managed to secure record

viewership in recent decades due to its unique competitive approach.

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References

Kyung-tae, K. (2015). K-MOVIE: The World’s Spotlight on Korean Film (Vol. 5). 길잡이미디어.