[Ecommerce] Koreatimes on UNESCO

[Manon Ress]

QUOTE
``Although we are not sure if the pact can be actually influential in
dealing with trade pressures, it is true that the international
society has provided an important ground for us to protect local
cultural contents and the screen quota system. I expect the pact will
be ratified by the National Assembly by early next year at the
latest,=92=92 said Yang Ki-hwan, a secretary general of the Coalition for
Cultural Diversity in Moving Images.

``It will also pave the way for an increasing number of policies
aimed at protecting the cultural rights of the minority,=92=92 he added.

The screen quota system, aimed at protecting the domestic film
industry from big-budget Hollywood movies, requires local cinemas to
fill 40 percent of their screening with locally produced movies.
However, the U.S. has been demanding South Korea cut the quota to 20
percent as it seeks the wider distribution of Hollywood films.
END OF QUOTE


UNESCO Adopts Cultural Diversity Pact
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200510/kt2005102117400110440.htm

By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter

UNESCO's member nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a
convention to protect the diversity of cultural expressions and local
cultures from ever-growing globalization, strengthening grounds for
Korea=92s maintaining its so-called ``screen quota=92=92 system.

In the 33rd UNESCO General Conference in Paris, attended by the 154
member states, 148 voted for the draft, two objected and four abstained.

As expected, the United States and Israel opposed the pact, titled
``The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions.=92=92 Australia was one of the four countries that
did not vote.

The convention authorizes each member country to take ``all
appropriate measures=92=92 to protect and preserve cultural contents from
serious threat.

Korea=92s cultural organizations and supporters of the screen quota
system are welcoming the adoption of the UNESCO pact, expecting that
it may put an end to controversy on maintenance of the rule.

``Although we are not sure if the pact can be actually influential in
dealing with trade pressures, it is true that the international
society has provided an important ground for us to protect local
cultural contents and the screen quota system. I expect the pact will
be ratified by the National Assembly by early next year at the
latest,=92=92 said Yang Ki-hwan, a secretary general of the Coalition for
Cultural Diversity in Moving Images.

``It will also pave the way for an increasing number of policies
aimed at protecting the cultural rights of the minority,=92=92 he added.

The screen quota system, aimed at protecting the domestic film
industry from big-budget Hollywood movies, requires local cinemas to
fill 40 percent of their screening with locally produced movies.
However, the U.S. has been demanding South Korea cut the quota to 20
percent as it seeks the wider distribution of Hollywood films.

In Paris last week, about 150 artists from around the world,
including Korea=92s top actress Moon So-ri, gathered to publicly show
their support for the UNESCO convention.

South Korea voted for the UNESCO convention as it is under trade
pressure from the U.S. to ease a safeguard on its screen quota system
as important conditions for a bilateral investment treaty with
Washington D.C.

Calling the convention ``deeply flawed,=92=92 the United States argued
the convention could be used to erect trade barriers against cultural
exports such as films and pop music as well as indirectly limit free
speech.

Although the U.S. delegation proposed 28 amendments to the draft, the
member states rejected all of them.

The convention, which takes precedence over similar previous pacts,
will be in effect once more than 30 countries ratify the pact. The
limit of the convention is the fact that countries who do not ratify
the convention will not be bound to it.


michelle@koreatimes.co.kr

************************************************
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

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