Twelve South Korean industry groups urge government to support K-drama production, warning of collapse

Twelve South Korean industry groups urged the government on Wednesday to invest in and support production of Korean television dramas. Reuters and the South China Morning Post (SCMP) both reported the appeal.

The groups warned that South Korea's K-drama production base risks collapse. This is the groups' own assessment. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include an independent assessment of the warning.

According to SCMP, the groups represent industry workers, including television drama producers, directors, writers, actors, cinematographers and crew.

Reported production figures

The figures below appear only in SCMP's report. The reports do not include independent verification of them.

According to the Korea Drama Production Association, as reported by SCMP, the number of K-dramas produced has fallen about 30 per cent from 141 titles in 2022. The reports do not specify the end date of that decline or the current number of titles.

The industry groups said three domestic broadcast networks cut drama output from 91 titles in 2012 to 32 in 2023, according to SCMP. The groups also said some channels had stopped airing weekday dramas altogether, SCMP reported. The reports do not identify the networks or the channels.

What each side says

The twelve industry groups say the production base risks collapse and that the government should invest in and support production.

The reports do not include a response from the South Korean government.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not name the twelve groups. They do not say whether the Korea Drama Production Association is one of them. They do not describe the amount or specific form of the investment and support sought. They also do not set out the causes of the decline.

The Reuters and SCMP reports have nearly identical lead sentences, and Reuters published first. SCMP does not credit Reuters, but the two reports likely share one origin.

Analysis

The appeal puts a question before the government: whether drama production warrants public support, and in what form. The reports do not show how officials view it. If independently verified, the figures would point to a sizeable contraction. However, the reports do not explain its causes, and lower output alone would not establish that a collapse is under way. One possible scenario is that officials discuss specific measures with the groups. Another is that they seek more evidence or decline to act. Much may depend on what the groups specifically request and how the government responds.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.