The nation's film industry has been witnessing steady growth over the past few years.
The number of film ticket sales broke the two-hundred-million mark last year, meaning
each person in the country,... on average,... watched about four films in theaters.
However, that doesn't apply to everyone... or every region of the country.
A gap has emerged in the film industry.
Our cultural correspondent Park Ji-won joins in the studio to explain.
Hi, Jiwon.
Hi, guys.
The numbers suggest that everyone in this country has access to an ample amount of cultural
activities,... at least with regard to films.
But it really depends on where you live.
Last year, Seoul citizens watched on average six films in theaters,.... but residents in
the southwestern province of Jeollanam-do, for instance,... watched just two.
The difference comes down to access, as many rural areas in Korea don't even have theaters.
Hongcheon county in Gangwon-do Province lies some one-hundred kilometers east of Seoul,...
and until this week, residents would have to travel about an hour if they wanted to
watch a movie in the theater.
But the opening of a small digital film theater in Hongcheon this week has changed that.
"I only watched,... probably three films a year.
Now I hope to watch more films as the theater is very close to my home."
"I had to watch films in Chuncheon or in Seoul, because there weren't any cultural centers
or theaters here."
"It cost me a lot of time and money to go to nearby cities to watch films, but now we
can watch films whenever we want at a fraction of the cost.
It's great."
"Hongcheon Cinema" is the nation's fourth small digital film theater... to open in counties
with a population of less than 100-thousand.
The first was in Jangsu in 2010, followed by others in Gimje and Imsil last year.
They are all financed by
their
local governments.