President Lee Jae-myung told a meeting with film figures including the actors Jeon Do-yeon and Sol Kyung-gu that sustaining independent cinema is a role for government.

Recovery in cinema admissions has been slow in South Korea since the pandemic. Observers have repeatedly noted that a structure in which mid- and low-budget and independent films struggle to secure screen time has hardened.

With investment flowing toward high-budget productions and streaming services, the routes by which new directors and actors accumulate experience are said to have narrowed.

Support options under discussion include direct production subsidies, screen allocation to secure exhibition, and assistance at the distribution and marketing stage, each with different effects and side-effects.

France has long operated a film support fund and screening quotas, a point read alongside Mr Lee's attendance at a film and audiovisual summit during his state visit there.

Overseas distribution of Korean audiovisual content has grown considerably in recent years, though assessments differ on how evenly those gains have spread across the industry.

Concrete measures are expected to be worked out through the culture ministry and the Korean Film Council.