Amendment to Music Industry Promotion Act clears Cabinet
Producers may choose between self-classification and ratings board review
Music labels will soon be able to assign age ratings to their artists' music videos themselves, ending a requirement that videos clear the Korea Media Rating Board before release. The change comes 14 years after the pre-release rating mandate was extended to cover online music videos.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that an amendment to the Music Industry Promotion Act introducing a self-classification system for music videos had cleared a Cabinet meeting. The revised law takes effect one year after promulgation.
Under the current rules, anyone producing or distributing a music video must obtain a rating from the Korea Media Rating Board before release. Under the amended law, producers and distributors registered with the board that meet requirements set by presidential decree may classify their own videos, display the rating, notify the board and then publish the content. Self-classification has already been introduced for games and video content, but music videos had remained an exception.
Self-classification is not mandatory. Producers may choose between submitting to the board's review as before or rating the video themselves. The option reflects industry feedback that the registration, designated-supervisor and training requirements could burden smaller producers. According to a 2024 study on tax support improvements for the music industry, the average number of music videos produced per company in 2023 was 26.8 for large firms, 8.3 for mid-sized firms and 4.9 for small firms. Even registered producers may refer difficult cases to the board.
Not all music videos require a rating. Videos made without intent for general distribution or public viewing, and videos that reproduce broadcast program content, are exempt. However, videos based on broadcast programs that have been sanctioned by the Korea Communications Commission must still obtain a rating.
Youth protection measures are built into the new system. Self-classifying producers must designate a ratings supervisor, who is required to complete training run by the Korea Media Rating Board. The board may order a rating adjustment if it finds a producer's classification inappropriate, and may revoke the rating if the order is not followed. Producers who violate compliance requirements — such as pre-release notification or mandatory training — may have their registration canceled.
Penalties are written directly into the Music Industry Promotion Act. Producing or distributing a music video without a rating, or altering a video's rated content or classification, carries up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($15,000), as under current law. Violations of compliance requirements are subject to administrative fines of up to 10 million won. If such videos spread online, the minister of culture, sports and tourism may request, after a Korea Media Rating Board review, that the Korea Communications Commission issue a corrective order to platform operators.
The pre-release rating requirement was extended to online music videos on Aug. 18, 2012. Before that, only broadcast music videos were subject to in-house review by broadcasters, while videos freely available online were exempt. The National Assembly amended the Act on the Promotion of Motion Pictures and Video Works on the grounds that sexually suggestive or violent music videos were reaching young viewers online without any filter.
The music industry pushed back ahead of the law's implementation. The maximum review period under the law was 14 days. Singer Yoon Jong-shin said the two-week process was incompatible with the monthly release schedule of his "Monthly Yoon Jong-shin" project. The Korea Media Rating Board said at a press briefing in September of that year that the average processing time for the 20 completed cases out of 34 received during the pilot period had been three days.
Controversy over rating standards persisted. In January 2018, the debut music video for singer Holland's "Neverland" received a rating restricted to ages 18 and over through broadcaster review rather than the Korea Media Rating Board. The video contained a kissing scene between two men. Reports that Suzy's music video "Loving Someone Else," released around the same time and featuring a kiss between a man and a woman, had received a rating permitting viewers 15 and older sparked a fairness debate.
Several attempts had been made to reform the system. In November 2013, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism met with music industry associations to hear proposals for improving the music video review process. In 2014, the ministry pursued a shift to private self-classification, and in 2018 the Office for Government Policy Coordination pushed to introduce a self-review system. Related bills were introduced in the 20th National Assembly but did not result in legislative change.
The new amendment also differs in approach from the OTT self-classification regime. The OTT system, which took effect in March 2023, operates on a "designation" model in which the minister of culture, sports and tourism selects operators through a review process for terms of up to five years. Music videos will use a "registration" model, under which producers meeting the required criteria register directly with the Korea Media Rating Board. The amendment also replaces the loanword "infra" in the existing statutory text with the native Korean equivalent meaning "infrastructure."
The ministry plans to work with the Korea Media Rating Board and the music industry before the law takes effect to establish subordinate regulations covering registration requirements, rating categories and classification criteria. Choi Sung-hee, the ministry's director general for content industry policy, said music videos are a key component of the music industry and expressed hope that the new system would streamline distribution procedures and improve marketing efficiency and responsiveness.
shee@heraldcorp.com
