Business integration and its impact on film industry: The case of Korean film policies from the 1960s until the present

With increasing business integration in cultural industries around the world, it has often been debated whether this process is helpful or harmful. The experiences of the Korean film industry provide an important example in this regard. Over the course of Korea’s film industry, there have been three distinct periods of integration. This article analyses the causes, processes, and their effects. The first one was the result of strict regulations and strong government intervention. The latter two periods exhibit different characteristics: deregulation and pro-competition in a global setting. In fact, integration brought about rather positive effects to the industry when a business-friendly environment prevailed. Based on this study, the results show that integration can be used to enhance the competitiveness of a film industry. The analysis in this article can be useful toward providing a good reference point for establishing cultural policies for the film industry.