S. Korea hopes to boost 'cultural trade,' support writers

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Thursday it plans to launch a Web
site offering aggregated content such as music, movies and TV materials for legal
download, with hopes of boosting "cultural trade."

The government will also expand opportunities for Korean writers, spending
billions of won, or millions of dollars, on the plan.
The Web site, www.wecon.kr, will go on-line in 2010 and offer everything from
computer games to TV shows, all produced in Korea.
Up to 5 billion won (about US$4 million) will be spent next year for the project,
and an additional 2.5 billion won will be spent every year through 2013, the
South Korean culture ministry said in a press release.
The government will also set up a "creation center" within the Korea Creative
Content Agency building, located in Sangamdong, western Seoul, to support TV,
film and play writers.
As more directors use work by foreign playwrights, the center aims to breathe new
life into Korean theater by launching 20 team projects to come up with stories.
Sales and circulation of the finished works will be handled by the government.
The ministry also announced plans to launch its "Global Frontier Project" next
year to support overseas sales and promotion of so-called "killer content" --
that have high potential to connect with various cultural and IT sectors,
including film, animation, TV dramas and games.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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