SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Korea's culture ministry and YouTube agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation around Korean creators, signaling that short-form and creator-led video are being treated less as a side channel and more as a growing part of the country's content industry.
Kim Young-soo, first vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, met with YouTube Vice President of Product Woojin Kim at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul to discuss ways to support YouTube's creator ecosystem and expand the global reach of Korean content, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
YouTube said Korean channels are already drawing a substantial overseas audience, with 30 percent of total watch time for Korean YouTube channels coming from outside South Korea. Kim Woojin said the platform has played a role in spreading K-content globally and will keep supporting Korean creators as they expand their influence in overseas markets and generate economic value.
Kim Young-soo said YouTube has helped Korean creators work across different fields and introduce K-culture to global audiences, adding that the ministry hopes to continue active exchanges with the platform.
The two sides also discussed policy direction for what the ministry calls "new media video content," including YouTube videos and short-form content, and agreed that the industry's continued growth requires a promotion-oriented approach that puts innovation and growth ahead of regulation.
The framing matters because creator-led video has increasingly become part of how Korean music, food, beauty, travel and lifestyle content reaches viewers abroad, often outside the traditional broadcast or studio system. Rather than treating creators as separate from the mainstream content industry, the ministry's statement placed them within the broader K-content ecosystem, saying the two sides will strengthen communication and cooperation so the creator industry can grow as one axis of that ecosystem.
The two sides also discussed the responsibility of major new media platforms to provide safe and appropriate content for all viewers, including minors. YouTube said it will continue efforts to meet that responsibility as a leading platform for new media video content, while the ministry asked for continued cooperation in supporting the sustainable development of the creator ecosystem.
AJP Takeaway:
▲ South Korea’s culture ministry and YouTube agreed on Aug. 10 to deepen cooperation on Korean creators and new media video, positioning creator-led and short-form content as a growing part of the country’s K-content industry.▲ About 30 percent of watch time for Korean YouTube channels comes from viewers outside South Korea, according to YouTube, underscoring the platform’s role in carrying Korean content to global audiences.
▲ The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said policy for “new media video content,” including YouTube and short-form video, should prioritize innovation, growth and industry promotion rather than regulation alone.
▲ The talks also framed Korean creators as part of the broader K-content ecosystem, alongside music, food, beauty, travel and lifestyle content that increasingly reaches overseas audiences through digital platforms.
▲The ministry and YouTube also discussed platform responsibility for safe and appropriate content, including protections for minors, as part of efforts to support the creator industry’s sustainable growth.
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