Copyright Seminar and Intergovernmental Meetings
with Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines
to Be Held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on May 20-21
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on May 20 that, together with the Korea Copyright Protection Agency, it will hold a copyright seminar and intergovernmental meetings with the governments of three Southeast Asian countries?Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines?at the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul from May 20 to 21.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established a copyright office in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2007, and has been operating local offices in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Manila, Philippines, maintaining close cooperative relationships with these three Southeast Asian countries for over ten years. Every year, the ministry has also held intergovernmental meetings and forums in the field of copyright in these countries, sharing Korea's policy experience and supporting improvements to the local environment.
This year, the governments of the three Southeast Asian countries are visiting Seoul simultaneously to experience Korea's advanced systems firsthand and seek solutions to shared challenges. This is the second time since 2019 that the three governments are gathering together in one place.
Delegations from each country attending the '2025 Korea-Southeast Asia 3-Country Copyright Seminar' are taking a commemorative photo. From the left, Park Jungyeol, President of the Korea Copyright Protection Agency; Ann Cabochan, Deputy Director of the Philippine Intellectual Property Office; Nusara Kanjanakul, Director of the Thai Intellectual Property Office; Tran Hoang, Director of the Copyright Department at the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and Jung Hyangmi, Director of the Copyright Department at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
This event is attended by key policy officials from each country, including Tran Hoang, Director of the Copyright Office (COV) at the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Nusara Kanjanakul, Director of the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) of Thailand; and Ann Claire Credo Cabochan, Deputy Director of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
On the first day, the intergovernmental seminar focused on each country's collective copyright management systems and protection policies. Vietnam raised the issue of strengthening the expertise of collective management organizations, Thailand highlighted the need to improve the supervisory system for collective management organizations, and the Philippines emphasized the expansion of collective management areas as a key challenge. Korea shared its advanced experiences and sought solutions, and the countries also discussed ways to cooperate in response to the common challenge of economic losses caused by online copyright infringement.
On the second day, May 21, a director-level meeting between Korea and the three countries will be held to discuss practical cooperation measures. Discussions with Vietnam will focus on the digitalization of systems such as copyright registration; with Thailand, on joint projects to raise copyright awareness; and with the Philippines, on joint responses to infringement, utilizing the authority to block illegal distribution sites.
As of 2022, Korea's copyright industry is valued at approximately $320 billion, accounting for 10% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines are also concentrating national efforts on the growth of their copyright industries and creative economies. In Vietnam, the copyright industry is rapidly expanding alongside digital economic growth, and in 2024, approximately $15 million was collected in music copyright royalties alone. Thailand's creative industry grew to account for 8.0% of GDP (about $40 billion) in 2023, and the country is working to establish the Thailand Creative Culture Agency (THACCA), benchmarking the Korea Creative Content Agency. In the Philippines, the creative economy accounted for 7.3% of GDP (about $34 billion) in 2024, and the number of copyright registrations in 2023 surged by 76% year-on-year, reaching a record high of 6,522 cases.
Jung Hyangmi, Director of the Copyright Department at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines are important markets, with high popularity of Korean Wave content and a combined population of 300 million. We will strengthen cooperation in various areas, including collective copyright management, protection and enforcement, and raising awareness, to lead the healthy development of the Asian copyright ecosystem."
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