Evaluation of Content Industry Promotion Programs

 

Published on July 6, 2026
Published by Social Administrative Program Evaluation Division



 

   Despite the recent global expansion of K-content, it is necessary to review content industry promotion policies and support systems in response to changes in the industry landscape, including rising production costs, shifts in investment conditions, shortages of skilled professionals, and the growing adoption of AI. Against this backdrop, this report analyzes relevant laws and regulations, policy plans, fiscal investment, and program performance and proposes measures for improvement.
   First, in the area of talent development, stronger links should be established between educational curricula and industry demand. Performance evaluation frameworks should also incorporate a balanced mix of qualitative indicators that capture key attributes of the content industry, such as creativity and planning capabilities. In addition, working conditions should be improved, while practice-oriented education and on-site training based on public-private collaboration among the government, universities, businesses, and other industry stakeholders should be expanded to provide more creative experience and strengthen practical competence.
   Meanwhile, any restructuring of talent development programs in the content sector should take into account not only administrative efficiency and operational convenience but also the distinct characteristics of individual programs, including their policy focus and objectives, target beneficiaries, and training methods. Such restructuring should be undertaken with due caution to ensure that the existing programs’ roles in developing skilled professionals and their unique policy objectives are not undermined.
   Second, in the area of financial support, government commitments to the K-Content Fund have continued to increase. However, the relatively low returns of the Culture and Film Accounts compared with other accounts may limit the incentives for private-sector participation. Moreover, although investment in small-scale and low-budget projects is essential to foster the culture and film industries, low profitability and changes in external conditions are constraining the expansion of private investment. Investment incentives should therefore be strengthened through measures such as tax incentives, preferential loss absorption, and a more favorable distribution of excess returns.
   In addition, as delays in sub-fund formation and investment execution have led to an accumulation of uninvested government contributions in the K-Content Fund, both the scale of contributions and the pace of investment execution need to be managed in a coordinated manner. While the fund-of-funds model is effective in attracting private capital, it may also lead to investment being concentrated in highly profitable companies with strong prospects for investment recovery. Measures are therefore needed to expand investment in areas requiring policy support, including early-stage companies.
   Third, in the area of R&D, greater emphasis should be placed on qualitative growth and the establishment of a stable performance management framework, rather than on the quantitative expansion of the R&D Support for the Cultural Content Industry program. To improve the quality and consistency of key performance outcomes, including patents, academic publications, technology utilization, and sales, greater efforts are needed to commercialize research outcomes and promote their application across the industry.
   Furthermore, advanced technology development and specialized R&D talent cultivation require the long-term accumulation of technological capabilities and research expertise. Accordingly, a stable, long-term R&D framework organized around integrated research themes should be established in place of short-term, project-based support.
   Fourth, with regard to the Film Development Fund, its financing structure should be redesigned through legal and institutional reforms to reflect the shift in film consumption from cinemas to OTT platforms. Drawing on relevant international practices, consideration should be given to including contributions from OTT service providers among the Fund’s statutory revenue sources.
   Moreover, funds exceeding the annual allocation from the Lottery Fund to the National Sports Promotion Fund are transferred or reallocated each year to the Film Development Fund and other funds. Given the original purposes and intended uses of the National Sports Promotion Fund, such recurring annual transfers and reallocations should be avoided.
   This report analyzes the operation and performance of programs supporting the content industry, focusing on human resource development, financial support, R&D, and the Film Development Fund. Through this analysis, it seeks to propose directions for improving the policy and fiscal support framework so that the content industry can better respond to rapid changes in the industry environment and technological innovations such as AI.