Korean industry group calls for 'Korean Hollywood' to boost K-culture growth

The Korea Economic Confederation (KEC) is calling for the creation of a "Korean Hollywood" to ensure the sustainable growth of the K-culture industry. The organization believes a fundamental restructuring of production, distribution, and policy systems is necessary.

A report commissioned by the KEC, authored by Professor Shim Sang-min of Sungshin Women's University, identifies strengthening content competitiveness, global expansion, and building a policy foundation as key tasks. The report points out that while K-culture has achieved global success, it faces structural limitations in its internal systems, industry linkages, and policy support.

The KEC warns that the industry's weak capital and lack of industrial clusters make it difficult to secure large-scale original intellectual property (IP). This situation risks reducing K-culture to a mere subcontractor for global online video services (OTT) platforms. Furthermore, the report notes that the popularity of K-culture has not effectively translated into increased exports for manufacturing or small and medium-sized businesses. The absence of a policy control tower, due to inter-ministerial silos, is also identified as a significant obstacle.