South Korean movie stars rallied against a government measure pushed by the US that they say threatens their film industry by subjecting it to increased competition from Hollywood.
About a dozen performers including actors Choi Min-shik, who starred in the Cannes award-winning film Oldboy, Song Kang-ho, actress Jeon Do-yeon, movie industry workers and academics were among the 3,000 people who gathered on Saturday night to denounce the US and South Korean governments as well as the American movie industry.
"We refuse to surrender to the unjustifiable demands of the United States," Kim Min-woong, a professor of social science and theology at Sungkonghoe University, told the rally at a central Seoul park. "We will not kneel down before the Hollywood giant."
PHOTO: EPA
The protest comes amid anger over a South Korean government measure announced in January to essentially cut the number of domestic films local cinemas are required to show annually, a move long pressed for by the US government and Hollywood.
Effective Saturday, local theaters only have to show South Korean movies for 73 days a year, down from the previous 146 days. The quota system had been introduced in 1966 to protect the local film industry.
The US had made cutting the quota a prerequisite for launching free trade negotiations, which began in Washington last month. The second round of talks is set to start in Seoul on July 10. The two sides are aiming to clinch a deal by the end of this year to submit to their respective legislatures for approval.
Protesters harshly criticized the South Korean government for allegedly caving in to pressure from Washington over the screen quota and the proposed free trade accord.
The South Korean government is confident that local movies can withstand more competition from Hollywood, emphasizing that market share for domestic films grew to nearly 60 percent last year from 50 percent in 2001.
Still, it has pledged to continue supporting the local film industry, and has promised a 400 billion won (US$422 million) fund to help cushion the blow.
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