Korea Leaves Its Mark on World Cinema

Korea Leaves Its Mark on World Cinema


Korea has emerged as a leading producer of motion pictures for the world market, with 194 movies exported to 62 countries in 2004, according to the Korean Film Council. The government body said that the films earned $58.3 million in overseas markets, with Japan accounting for $40 million of that amount. The Bangkok Post observed today (Monday) that in the past year, "it has become the norm that at least one new Korean film opens in Thai theaters almost every weekend." The newspaper went on to comment: "In a stunning achievement, Korean cinema of recent years has managed to reconcile the classic dilemma of the movie industry: it has offered both commercially successful titles ... as well as heavier stuff that has become film festival faves."