South Korea Announces 5-Year Plan to Boost Animation Industry
The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced the "2025–2030 Basic Plan for Animation Industry Promotion" on April 24, presided over by Acting President and Prime Minister Duck-soo Han.The new plan is a long-term strategy aimed at developing animation into a high-value industry. Key initiatives include expanding industry investment, diversifying content distribution, cultivating specialized talent, and supporting overseas expansion.To revitalize the industry, the government will establish a 20 billion won (about US$15 million) animation-focused fund this year, aiming to expand it to 150 billion won (about US$106 million) by 2029. To attract international co-productions, incentives such as partial reimbursement of domestic production costs will also be introduced.In response to media trends, the plan emphasizes broader IP utilization. Support for producing content targeted at young adults, as well as projects optimized for streaming platforms and short-form content, will be expanded. The government will also encourage cross-adaptations with webtoons and web novels.The government also plans to support AI-based video content production and distribution, build Korean-specific AI training data, and establish related technologies. Education programs will also be enhanced. As demand grows for webtoon and web novel adaptations, new training programs for planning producers and professional scriptwriters will be introduced, alongside AI-based video content courses in partnership with universities and affiliated institutions.Through this plan, the government aims to grow the animation industry's domestic market size from 1.1 trillion (about US$780 million) in 2023 to 1.9 trillion won won (about US$1.35 billion) by 2030 and expand the workforce from 6,417 to 9,000 employees.Sources: MCST, YNA (Soon-hyun Lim)
