The South Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has unveiled its Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Animation Industry, which eyes improving its involvement in the animation industry in a broader scale, including expanding beyond preschool programs and TV slots. This large sum of money to the tune of a billion USD, or 1.5 trillion KRW, will support the effort through 2029.
The money will be allocated to allow Korean producers to make more broad content for a wider audience, including theatrical films, global streamers, and IP franchises. With this move, it will aid in ensuring higher production budgets and dash other current limitations, like a more narrow audience.
Beyond that, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also has $140 million set aside as an animation production fund, with plans to inflate that fund to $1 billion over the course of five years, as well. Potential overseas partners are going to be talked to across major content markets, such as China and other Southeast Asia markets. Meanwhile, localization will be handled by Korean Cultural Centers and K-Content Business Hubs around the world.
The plan has the government developing an AI-based production ecosystem to introduce government-funded video content datasets. It will also have a policy to support virtual humans, emerging media formats, and the ever-controversial AI short films. It plans to partner with universities and creative institutions to help train writers, producers, and AI creators to helps upport the Korean animation industry.
Korean animation beyond the sanatized kids stuff, like Baby Shark, has been on the rise lately, though, of course, not as big as in the country itself, with Heartsping: Teenieping of Love snagging $7.7 million back in August 2024, making it the second highest-grossing film ever in the country. Meanwhile, Netflix has plans with the Korean animated feature Lost in Starlight releasing next month.
Lost in Starlight follows an astronaut who falls in love with a down to earth musician ahead of her Mars probe mission, leading to quite the long distance relationship.
Now, while this allocated money is a net-positive in that it shows that animation is a viable form of entertainment worldwie, which we already knew. But, the fact it seems the Korean government is putting this much money into the industry with plans of AI-based productions at the forefront can certainly make some turn their heads away. We can only hope that these productions are few and far between and more heartfelt flicks will be getting some of that money.