Culture Ministry, gov't agencies aim to stop K-content exploitation at Seoul copyright summit

The Culture Ministry and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency held the "2024 International Cooperation Meeting for Copyright Protection" on Tuesday to discuss various issues regarding the investigation of K-content copyright infringement.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon during the press briefing held on Dec. 27, 2023, about his plans to strengthen the copyright for Korean content. [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency held the "2024 International Cooperation Meeting for Copyright Protection" on Tuesday to discuss various issues regarding the investigation of K-content copyright infringement. The two intend on establishing an effective international cooperative investigation system.

The event was attended by about 70 representatives from key agencies, including the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Interpol and the Korean National Police Agency.

Since 2022, the ministry and the copyright protection agency have been working collaboratively to build an international cooperative investigation system to combat K-content copyright-related crime.

Last year, the Culture Ministry and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency, in collaboration with the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and Interpol, secured critical investigation leads in Indonesia. This effort led to a joint operation between Korea, Indonesia and Interpol, resulting in the arrest of a suspect providing illegal streaming services of Korean content in Indonesia.

According to the Culture Ministry, the attendees shared updates on ongoing investigations into K-content copyright infringement cases in the Philippines and Vietnam during the meeting on Tuesday. The discussions also focused on planning future joint operations. Korea aims to strengthen international cooperation on copyright crime investigations and information exchanges by pursuing agreements with both the Philippines and Vietnam.

The Culture Ministry emphasized its commitment to collaborating with the National Police Agency and Interpol to “build a robust international cooperative investigation system against content piracy,” and added that it is “determined to track down and eliminate illegal content distribution networks and operators to ensure that creators' rightful earnings are protected.”

"Copyright crimes, which cross borders overnight via the internet, cannot be resolved by any single country alone,” said an official from the Culture Ministry. “This international cooperation meeting is an opportunity to reinforce the international cooperative investigation network for copyright protection. With close cooperation, we expect to more effectively combat K-content copyright infringement crimes."

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]