Minister Mélanie Joly is in South Korea to Discuss Cultural Diversity and Export of Creative Content

The Government of Canada supports the development of new markets to promote cultural diversity and export of creative content

SEOUL, South Korea, April 6, 2018 /CNW/ - Minister Joly visited South Korea to meet with several key players in that country's creative industry, with a view to building bridges between the creative industries of the two countries, opening a dialogue about the diversity of cultural content on digital platforms, and promoting the export of creative content.

During her visit to Seoul, the Minister met with her South Korean counterpart, the Honourable Do Jong-hwan, Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism. The two Ministers discussed ways to strengthen trade and cultural export links between the two countries, as well as the importance of preserving the diversity of cultural content on the Web.

Twenty years ago, the South Korean government adopted a cultural policy that made the peninsula an export power and a major cultural destination, as well as an example for protecting one's culture. Minister Joly learned more about the best practices resulting from this implementation, in order to benefit Canada's creative industry. The discussion between the two Ministers also focused on possible solutions to the challenges presented by today's digital reality. Like Canada, South Korea is a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The Minister is proud to announce that she and Minister Do have reiterated their commitment to expand the co-production framework between Canada and the Republic of Korea. Negotiating a modern treaty will increase collaborative projects between Canadian and South Korean producers and support the growth of the audio-visual production industry in Canada, valued at $8.38 billion in 2016.

The video gaming and animation industry is a booming sector in Canada, and Minister Joly took advantage of her visit to Seoul, considered a mega-hub for the sector, to meet with Korean entrepreneurs working in the video game industry, valued at $3.1 billion in 2015. She participated in meetings with the Korea Creative Content Agency, the Seoul Business Agency, and CJ E&M Entertainment, among others.

Canada and South Korea have a constructive relationship. The Minister's visit strengthened this friendly bilateral relationship, which will continue to grow as South Korea plays an increasingly important role as an economic partner, particularly in the cultural export sector. The two countries have strong trade relations, supported by the Canada?Korea Free Trade Agreement, Canada's first bilateral free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region.

Opening new markets to foster growth in trade for Canadian creators and creative entrepreneurs is one of the Government of Canada's goals, in order to create more jobs and strengthen the middle class.

Minister Joly is now heading for China. She will lead Canada's first creative industries trade mission, whose objective is to strengthen economic relations, foster cooperation between Chinese and Canadian creators and cultural industries, and increase diplomatic exchanges.

Quotes

"The meetings in South Korea allowed me to learn more about their model of cultural policy. I was also able to reiterate the importance of preserving the diversity of cultural content on digital platforms. My Korean counterpart and I have agreed to talk regularly about our progress in this area, and to encourage cultural export between our two countries."
?The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

Canada and South Korea enjoy a close and friendly relationship. Both countries are signatories to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Canada and South Korea share many common values, notably democracy, liberty, and respect for human rights and the rule of law.

In June 2017, Canada was elected for the third time to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The Korea Creative Content Agency is a unique model that brings together television, music, animation, fashion, video games and virtual reality, from creative concept to production and R&D.

Associated Links

Embassy of Canada to Korea http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/korea-coree/index.aspx?lang=eng

Canada?Korea Relations http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/korea-coree/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/index.aspx?lang=eng

Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions http://en.unesco.org/creativity/convention

Country Info: South Korea ? Export and Development Canada (EDC) https://www.edc.ca/EN/Country-Info/Pages/Korea-Republic.aspx

SOURCE Canadian Heritage