Busan is good

Park Heong-joon, Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, Meets with the Motion Picture Association (MPA)

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Mayor Park Heong-joon of Busan Metropolitan City received Gail MacKinnon, Senior Executive Vice President of Global Policy and Government Affairs at the Motion Picture Association (MPA), and her delegation on the afternoon of September 19 at 2:00 p.m. in the International Protocol Room at City Hall. They discussed global visual content trends and ways to strengthen cooperation in the film and visual media industry.

The meeting was also attended by Urmila Venugopalan, President of the Asia-Pacific Office, and Bo Son, Korea Representative for the Asia-Pacific Region, along with three other executives of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

<Motion Picture Association, MPA>
Established in 1922 to promote the growth of the U.S. film industry, the MPA supports international exchanges, trade issues, enforcement of intellectual property protection agreements, and the promotion and support of film content.
Members: Seven companies (Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery)

First, Mayor Park expressed his welcome by saying, “I would like to thank you for visiting Busan to participate in the Busan International Film Festival, which is marking its 30th anniversary this year as it takes a new leap forward as a competitive film festival. The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has supported the festival in many ways over the years, including through workshops and seminars. I hope that through continued collaboration with the MPA, we can not only expand participation in the festival but also achieve substantive cooperation in the growth of Busan’s film and visual media industry.”

Mayor Park further emphasized, “Film and visual content serve as a medium that transcends borders and cultures to connect people, and they exert significant influence in the global market. A prime example is the recent hit K-Pop Demon Hunters, which reflects the rising interest in Korea fueled by the success of K-content. In addition, the number of Hollywood productions choosing Busan as a filming location is also increasing.”

He added, “Busan is a city where nature and urban spaces harmonize, making it an attractive filming destination and a place where works based on Busan’s unique storytelling can also be created. I ask that MPA member companies actively promote Busan. I also hope that we can develop projects that connect with Busan’s tourism products, such as immersive experience centers like Netflix House or pop-up stores.”

In response, Gail MacKinnon, Senior Executive Vice President of the MPA’s U.S. headquarters, congratulated Korea on the global success of works such as Parasite, Squid Game, and K-Pop Demon Hunters, saying, “Korea has significant strengths in cultural soft power, and a representative example is K-Pop Demon Hunters. The MPA’s top priority is to enhance cooperation between the Korean and U.S. content industries. With our highly competitive member companies, we are paying close attention to the Korean market in terms of co-productions and exploring opportunities for collaboration not only in content production but also in the streaming industry.”

She also expressed active support for MPA member companies’ location filming in Busan and engaged in discussions with Mayor Park to explore diverse areas of cooperation between Busan and the MPA.

Finally, Mayor Park concluded the meeting by saying, “I look forward to Busan and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) continuing to maintain close cooperation and working together to drive the development of the global film and visual media industry.”