Foreign national residents are also eligible for discounts with valid ID
Moviegoers in South Korea can receive discounts of 6,000 won on regular admission prices starting Friday at 10 a.m.
The joint initiative by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council, aims to revive the struggling cinema industry and boost consumer spending. The ministry allocated 27.1 billion won ($19.6 million) of the second supplementary budget to the program, which passed a National Assembly vote on July 4.
Moviegoers can claim up to two coupons each through the websites and apps of major chains CGV, Lotte Cinema, Megabox and CineQ. The coupons remain valid through Sept. 2.
Foreign national residents with valid identification can also access the discounts by creating accounts on theater websites and apps, where they can receive the coupons while booking, according to a Korean Film Council official. Independent theaters not affiliated with major chains or without online booking systems will offer the discount on-site without ID verification.
The coupons work with existing promotions. Customers can combine them with Culture Day discounts, senior citizen rates, student prices and early morning screenings. On Culture Day — an initiative by the Culture Ministry held on the last Wednesday of each month — when tickets are discounted to 7,000 won, the additional discount brings prices down to just 1,000 won.
Credit card cashback offers also apply if minimum payment requirements are met. Mobile carrier membership discounts cannot be combined with the government coupons.
Theaters must charge a minimum of 1,000 won per ticket after all discounts. The program covers all films screening during the promotion period, excluding paid preview screenings.
The initiative comes as Korea's film industry faces its worst first-half performance in over two decades.
Through July 22, just 50.04 million tickets had been sold nationwide. If current trends continue, annual attendance could fall below 100 million for the first time since 2004, excluding pandemic years (2020-21).
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
