At the forefront of Korea’s content industry are its creators and high-profile actors but behind the scenes are large crews encompassing a range of different professions that are crucial in bringing films to the big screen. Directors and actors are often at pains to thank the staff involved in the production during acceptance speeches at award ceremonies knowing the long hours involved with many crews arriving on set well before the cameras roll and return home long after actors have finished for the day.

Given how the industry has changed many of these crews are now working on limited series as talent both on and off screen are having to turn to content financed by the streaming platforms. With several new dramas dropping each month - often with high production values and multiple episodes - it requires significant labor.

This week we track some of the developments in Korea’s labor ecosystem beginning with the birth of the unions before turning to a change in the regulations in the maximum hours per week in 2018 and the impact that had on productions. It will then examine the 2020s as a new generation enter the workforce along with some of the challenges going forward. 

The 2000s – Korea’s First Official Labor Union   

When Bong Joon Ho worked on his first English-language project Snowpiercer (2013) in the early 2010s he said there were a lot of unfamiliar regulations and union rules that they had to follow because 90 percent of the crew were either British or American. While Bong and his local crew adapted to them, it does highlight the differences between the Korean and America production systems. In Hollywood as seen with the 2023 strikes by the Writers Guild of America and American Actors’ Union that brought production to a standstill, the unions are much more powerful than those in Korea.

Korea’s unions are much younger. Hollywood’s unions go back to the early 20^th century when it was developing into the world’s leading film industry. Korea’s first official Labor Union (Federation of Korean Movie Workers Union (FKMWU)) was only established in 2005 with approximately 400 members following calls to improve working conditions for crews. There was no minimum wage. At the time Lewis Kim who would later produce Okja (2017) told Screendaily “Everyone is contracted on a project basis, and there is no such thing as overtime pay.” Ultimately while the quality of films had improved significantly, this wasn’t true for those working hard on productions.

Other unions also emerged during this time. The Directors Guild of Korea otherwise known as the DGK was also established in 2005 that seeks to support directors and writers in the industry and ensure that they earn “fair remuneration” as well as assisting its members with contracts. It represents over 800 directors and screenwriters.  The Producers Guild of Korea (PGK) was created in 2008 that now has close to 280 members and puts together a range of initiatives supporting projects and producers in the industry. 

The 2010s – The Standard Labor Contract & 52-Hour work week

The FKMWU would later prove instrumental in spreading awareness of having a labor contract and pressing the studios to write up contracts for its crews rather than hiring them as subcontractors. In doing so they would be eligible for social insurance programs, overtime pay and there would be a specific contractual term.

A contract was eventually put together in 2011 by the Film Industry Cooperation Committee that included representatives from the government, the FKMWU and the Korean Film Producers Association. It wasn’t, however, until there was a stipulation in a revision of the Promotion of the Motion Pictures and Video Act in 2015 that a contract become more widespread in the industry for crews.  The revision stated that projects which didn’t draw up contracts for its staff would become illegible for the Film Development Fund.

JK Yoon’s Ode to My Father (2014) was the first production to adopt the Standard Labor Contract for crews. By 2018 the numbers of films using the contract had risen to 77.8 percent from 36.3 percent in 2015 following the above 2015 revision to the Promotion of the Motion Pictures and Video Act.

In 2018 what also was significant in improving conditions for staff was the Revised Labor Standards Act that brought legal working hours down to a maximum of 52 from 68 hours. The sparked concerns by some in the industry that budgets would increase, and productions would take longer with films that took 3.5 months to produce to then involve 5 months of production or increasing the number of crews. Some felt it would push smaller films out of the industry.

While the industry has changed dramatically since then with the pandemic and a shift in viewing habits further complicating the picture, it is lower budget films that are making a profit with eight of the thirteen films breaking even in 2024 budgeted under 10 billion won. Moreover, according to data from the Korean Film Council 2024 report, the average production cost of films in 2018 was 2 billion won. In 2024 it was 2.32 billion won marking an increase of 16 percent but given the inflationary pressures budgets don’t appear to have risen as much as feared.   

2020s – Global Reach of K-Contents Attracts Young Talent but Concerns Persist

With the explosive interest in the Korean contents industry, it is attracting young graduates looking to explore the different roles that there are. Even positions such as managers looking after talent are being sought after by graduates that were once less desirable owing to long hours and low pay. It signifies how perceptions of the industry have changed that is perhaps a combination of its lure as an exciting sector to work in but also reflective of how some of the conditions have improved – though as explored below there is still a long way to go.

Graduates have until more recently also favored large conglomerates over smaller companies that has been satirized in Korean content including the drama Super Rookie (2005). This appears to be changing with younger production companies catching the eye of young people as content produced by these are gaining popularity. According to The Korea Times, about 900 applicants applied for a small number of entry-level producer positions at Egg is Coming that were responsible for the hit series Resident Playbook (2025).

Non-Koreans who are coming to Korea in increasing numbers to study are also looking to secure positions in the entertainment industry after graduating. In August, international students enrolled at universities or language schools in the country surpassed 300,000 for the first time and with Korean content becoming increasingly globalized this could pave the way for international graduates to enter the film and wider entertainment industry.  Korean record labels such as YG Entertainment are already recruiting Non-Korean nationals for positions.

But challenges persist. With many of the job postings in Korea entry-level positions it becomes extremely competitive for young people in Korea for both Korean and non-Korean alike with large numbers applying for a small number of roles. This month some concerning figures were released – the number of those between 15 and 29 employed shrunk by 163,000 to just over 3.52 million, the lowest since records began. This is despite Korea’s aging population amid a chronically low birth rate.

There is also evidence that while conditions have improved in the contents sector many production staff are still overworked. A report by a state affiliated agency stated that production crews that were surveyed between January and August 2024 were working on average 49.9 hours a week with producers working the longest at 56 hours on average. The report also found that contracts remain an issue with 26.2 percent under verbal contracts in 2024 -this marked a decline from 2023 where it was 35.5 percent. 34.2 percent also signed freelance contracts meaning unless they were employed elsewhere, they would be classed as self-employed and therefore would have to pay for their own medical insurance in what is further illustrative of the problems workers in the industry continue to face.

Written by Jason Bechervaise

Edited by kofic