Child Actors and Idols' 'Production Before Contract' Practice to Disappear

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Establishes Guidelines for Protecting the Rights of Children and Adolescents
Specifies Implementation of Necessary Protective Measures by Rights Category

A framework to protect the rights and interests of children and adolescents in the popular culture and arts industry has been established. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 27th that it will distribute the protection guidelines, completed through surveys and opinion gathering, to the field.

The guidelines were created following recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission in 2022. It was determined that popular culture content such as music, movies, dramas, and entertainment shows contain elements that hinder the healthy growth of children and adolescents, including provocative expressions and long working hours.

Based on the ‘Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act,’ the Ministry included protective measures for minor artists, various accident prevention measures, and response plans in the guidelines.

The guidelines provide the fundamental principles for protecting child and adolescent popular culture artists, outline prohibited acts for business operators, and distinguish roles by responsible parties such as minor artists, popular culture arts business operators, and guardians.

From the contract signing stage through production and completion, the guidelines explain step-by-step compliance requirements and infringement cases that were difficult to specify in laws, and provide on-site production checklists to comprehensively present basic human rights protection guidelines for minor artists.

The most notable content is the elimination of verbal contracts and the practice of ‘production first, contract later,’ which have been considered industry customs. It guides the use of standard contracts to ensure written and prior agreements are made.

Additionally, the guidelines set specific instructions for each item, including compliance with restricted working hours stipulated in the ‘Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act,’ implementation of necessary protective measures for rights such as health, personality, learning, and sleep, and clear specification of profit distribution requests and usage rights.

The Ministry plans to deliver the guidelines to agencies, production companies, broadcasters, and related associations and organizations. An official stated, “Industry workers, guardians, and content consumers in the popular culture and arts sector must together create a responsible production and consumption culture that protects child and adolescent artists,” adding, “We will actively listen to demands for system improvements to foster a healthy production environment based on mutual trust.”