K-POP Industry Divided Over Choreography Copyright Rules: “Legislation Reform” vs. “Prior Consultation”

Fierce disagreements exist within the K-POP industry regarding the protection of copyright for choreography, a vital element of this sector. While the Choreography Copyright Association demands revisions to copyright law and the introduction of standard contracts, music organizations have called for rational consultation rather than emotional public campaigns. Four music groups—including the Korean Management Federation, the Korean Entertainment Producers Association, the Korean Music Label Industry Association, and the Korean Music Content Association—issued a joint statement on the 26th stating that “the hasty adoption of standard contracts could cause significant confusion and disputes in the industry, so thorough consultation must precede such actions.” Under current copyright law, pop music choreography is recognized as part of “theatrical works, dance, pantomime, and other dramatic works,” but specific regulations or mechanisms for collecting copyright fees do not exist. Last year, during a government audit, the need to institutionalize choreography copyright was raised after it was noted that BLACKPINK’s choreography videos had accumulated 1.7 billion views on YouTube. The Choreography Copyright Association is demanding ▲revisions to copyright law that explicitly classify choreography as an independent work and clearly define choreographers’ rights, ▲the introduction of standard contracts containing fair contractual terms and revenue distribution methods, and ▲the establishment of a transparent and efficient system for managing choreography copyright. In response, music organizations argue that pop music choreography is already covered under the existing law’s provisions for dance works, and that separate regulations would create equity issues with other subgenres of dance. They also pointed out that “copyright laws in countries with similarly developed popular culture industries, such as the United States and Japan, do not recognize separate revenue distribution rights for choreography.” The music organizations criticized the Choreography Copyright Association for generalizing a few individual cases as representing the entire K-POP industry and for launching public campaigns without even holding a single formal consultation with record producers. They explained that among the 1,064 record producers who entered data into the Circle Chart system, only 216 (about 20%) have registered dance songs in the past three years, while the remaining 80% focus on genres such as ballads that are unrelated to choreography. The music organizations emphasized that “K-POP choreography is a unique type where music and dance are inseparably intertwined,” and insisted that discussions on establishing such a system should only take place after specific criteria and methods for determining rights are defined and protective measures for record producers are put in place.