On Wednesday, November 4, at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, about a dozen industry associations, including the Korea Drama Production Association and the Korea TV & Radio Writers Association, held a press conference to reveal the existential crisis facing the domestic drama industry.
President of the Korea Drama Production Association, Song Byeong-joon, acknowledged that Korean dramas have boosted exports of food, cosmetics, fashion, and tourism, yet this is not proportionate to the condition of the industry itself. "However, the domestic drama production industry is actually facing a severe crisis," he said. He highlighted that large capital inflows no longer guarantee profits, with rising production costs and shrinking investment capacity.
According to association data, production volume has declined by about 30% over the past two years from a record 141 titles in 2022. Free-to-air broadcast networks KBS, MBC, and SBS have also been affected, with the number of titles falling from 91 in 2012 to 32 last year, accelerated by declining advertising revenue. Industry figures pointed to global streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ as the cause of higher production cost standards and the erosion of intellectual property rights. Trends in artificial intelligence and short-form dramas are also considered to have exacerbated the situation.
President of the Korean Drama Producers Association, Kim Jong-chang, emphasized the loss of opportunities for young talent, stating, "There are no jobs. The proliferation of short-form content and AI is worsening this problem. We realize we must adapt to changing trends, but the reality we face right now is truly very difficult." My Mister screenwriter Park Hae-young, who also chairs the copyright committee of the Korea TV & Radio Writers Association, added that assistant writers are now without work and pushed back against the industry continuing to be controlled by giant foreign capital.
Meanwhile, the government cut the Ministry of Culture's budget from 91.8 billion won to 87.3 billion won for 2027. In 2025, Korean Wave exports reached US$18.98 billion, including US$1.25 billion from the broadcasting and video sector. The industry is demanding new policies, including the establishment of a medium- and long-term investment fund of 1 trillion won for local productions, as well as efforts to restore production rhythms to what they were before the dominance of foreign streaming platforms.
Source: cnnindonesia.com
