The development of digital cultural products in the age of globalization: Focusing on the Korean digitalized animation industry

This research examines Korean digital animation by focusing on the production process. In order to demonstrate that Korean digital animation is globalized, this study analyzes its industrial characteristics and associated policy.; Based on theories of globalization and cultural industries, Research Question Group I focuses on the economic area and Research Question Group 2 examines the political area.; This study is conducted using qualitative methods. The first is the document data analysis and the second is comprised of in-depth interviews. Several documents such as newspaper articles and articles of academic journals are reviewed. For the interview phase, twelve people were interviewed. Four of them are directors and CEOs of production companies, six people work as policy managers, and the remaining two are professors who study animation.; The results are as follows: (a) Three industrial sectors provide societal bases that accelerate digitalization. In the animation industry, the decrease of subcontract-based animation and the global success of United States digital animation stimulate digitalization worldwide. In cultural industries, the paradigm shift in cultural policy, the quantitative growth, and the importance of cultural industries in raising the local economy work as factors to develop digital animation. Lastly in the information and communication technology industry, the rapid growth, the advent of new media, and the introduction of a new society paradigm require more content in the form of software. (b) There are several changes that have accompanied the advent of digital animation. Production companies show a changed nature and structure. These companies now concentrate on making co-production contracts with foreign companies. The co-production system with two regional groups establishes regionalization. Furthermore, production companies diversify their business on the basis of the One Source Multi Use strategy. Also observed is a focus on the development of characters for digital animation works as well as emphasis on global market sales. (c) Supporting programs for digital animation are offered by both the national and local governments in Korea. In the national government, the Ministry of Culture Tourism and the Korea Culture & Content Agency provide most available support programs. In the local area, GIMC plays an important role in developing Chuncheon's animation industry. Its changed role has resulted in Chuncheon's establishment of its global network as the local cluster, which is another example of regionalization.; On the basis of these results, the findings suggest that the role of nation-states has changed and two types of regionalization have emerged in Korea. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Korean digitalized animation industry is being globalized.; This research consequently works as the basis from which to look at the Korean animation industry in new ways that contradict the existing thought that Korea is one of the main subcontract-based, production countries. These findings thus provide strong evidence for further study of the Korean digitalized animation industry in terms of international communication.