Twitter to be official partner for 58th Daejong Film Awards

Yang Yoon-ho (left), head of the Federation of Korean Movie Workers Union, and Kim Yeon-jeong, head of global K-pop and K-content partnerships at Twitter (Twitter)

Global social media platform Twitter inked a content partnership deal for the 58th Daejong Film Awards, set to be held on Dec. 9, the tech giant said Wednesday.

Under the new agreement, the two sides aim to bolster South Korea’s film industry and the help aficionados of Korea-based movie content and cinema around the globe access Korean films more easily.

By clinching the deal, Twitter will be the only social media platform to exclusively stream the awards ceremony and other events during the festival, including the event’s backstage, Q&A session and red-carpet ceremony.

The social media operator will also exclusively manage the film awards’ Twitter page and release a custom emoticon as part of the partnership deal. The custom-made icon will automatically appear on social media if users tweet the hashtags #Daejong or #Daejong_Award, in a bid to engage users in viral trends.

“Since Twitter is a strong interest-based community, many people tend to discuss various Korea-based content like films and dramas. We will continue to work with K-content partners with deep and rich history like the Daejong Film Awards and help people easily access and enjoy different content on Twitter and spread K-content globally,” said Kim Yeon-jeong, head of global K-pop and K-content partnerships at Twitter, via a press release.

The Daejong Film Awards, considered South Korea’s most prestigious awards in cinema -- equivalent to the Oscars -- were first presented in 1962. This year’s film festival will be held under the slogan: “For the people, for the world.”

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)