INCHEON, KOREA — The city of Incheon suggests five visions for fostering the local digital content industry:
First, development of cultural products that integrate the local cultural and industrial resources
Second, establishment and sophistication of a specialized local culture industry cluster
Third, cultivation and inducement of local content enterprises with technological competence
Fourth, active collaboration of industry, academy, government, and research institutions led by corporations
Fifth, raising awareness of, participation in, and support for culture contents among the public
The 21st century is called the age of creativity or the ‘digital content industry.’ This industry has given birth to a variety of new services as well as creating opportunities to distribute new contents. The scale of the world’s digital content markets grew by 50 percent, from USD 238.5 billion in 2005 to USD 478.9 billion five years later. This brought change to the digital industry environment and potential economic growth of the Korean market and abroad. It is certain that the digital content industry has become a vital part of national competence.
Incheon has limitless potential to lead the culture industries. The city has more materials that boast being ‘the first, best, or the only’ more than any other region in Korea. For instance, Aegwan Cinema was built in Incheon 110 years ago and was the first movie theater in Korea. It was opened 13 years before Korea’s first national movie theater, Wongaksa. The charm of the century old theater adds historical significance to the city.
The renowned animation film director Miyazaki Hayao also made many masterpieces in Yokohama, Japan’s biggest port city. Cultural resources are not particularly devised but naturally created within the day to day life of the citizens. In that sense, it is safe to say that Incheon is a repository of sources for digital contents creation.
Moreover, Incheon has the optimal environment for the industry, as the home of diverse cultural facilities and culture content-related businesses, colleges, and research institutes, especially around the Culture Industry Promotion Cluster.
Incheon ICT Industry Promotion Agency is constructing different projects to support and centralize competitive content businesses to the promotion cluster and boost next-generation tangible contents as the main field of the industry.
In addition, the agency selects digital content companies with exceptional growth potential that can contribute to development of the local contents industry, while aiding them in production, technological support, domestic and overseas marketing, and human resources supply. IITPA(Incheon ICT industry Promotion Agency) will start a new program this year. ‘Promising Digital Contents Companies’ were selected to represent the city and benefit from financial support, marketing and promotion opportunities, and additional points when applying for the business program in the following year.
The agency will continue to provide support for the selected ‘Promising Digital Contents Companies’ to become a leading competitor in the global market.
IITPA also boasts a close collaboration system with the local promotion agencies, culture, and art communities as well as businesses operating within the city. To nurture creative local culture contents, it is important to establish policies and provide support to encourage creative activities of culture, art communities and businesses.
The idea that Incheon is a city capable of creating a new and original culture must settle in the minds of entrepreneurs; first, Incheon must strengthen the platform for culture contents production and see the outcome of its efforts.
The next-generation of tangible contents industry, for example, was chosen as the main fostering field for the Culture Industry Promotion Cluster. This will materialize the vision of the Incheon digital industry and will create a new business model through collaboration projects among the industry, academy, government, and research institutions.
Our last policy is to raise awareness of digital contents and bring out voluntary participation and support from the citizens. When the citizens enjoy the atmosphere, onlookers will realize that Incheon is a city of culture. Though those projects and policies prepare to activate the culture industry, IITPA will continue to discover diverse resources and establish local culture businesses with the citizens.
Despite having been overshadowed by Seoul, Incheon has undeniable and infinite potential in the contents industry. I hope the culture contents industry will become an engine for Incheon to move forward as Korea’s economic capital. It will be IITPA’s role to make a link among the local government, culture and art community, and culture industry.
