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| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-09-04 07:32:41
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean cinema industry on Friday welcomed a Supreme Court ruling that failing to provide audio descriptions and subtitles for visually and hearing-impaired moviegoers constitutes discrimination, while expressing concern that the ruling could increase the financial burden on the industry.
Industry officials called for government policies to reduce the burden on private businesses at a time when the film industry is facing difficulties.
The Supreme Court on Thursday sent back to the Seoul High Court a case filed by two visually impaired and two hearing-impaired people against CJ CGV, Lotte Cultureworks and Megabox Central, saying the lower court had placed excessive weight on the financial burden on businesses.
The top court recognized that theater operators have an obligation to eliminate discrimination by providing audio descriptions, subtitles and related receiving devices to disabled customers. It ruled, however, that the lower court had erred in limiting the scope of such services to 3 percent of all screenings at theaters with 300 or more seats.
The ruling means that the lower court had focused only on the financial burden of providing accessibility services and should also have considered opportunities for disabled people to watch movies.
As a result, the scope of accessibility services required at cinemas is expected to expand in the retrial.
Cinema operators offered cautious responses for now, saying they will wait for the retrial proceedings.
CJ CGV said, "As the relevant lawsuit is still ongoing, we are awaiting the court's final ruling." It added, "Once the details of the court's final ruling and the scope of the resulting legal obligations are finalized, we will respond in a feasible manner."
Lotte Cinema said, "We are currently reviewing the specific details and implications of the Supreme Court ruling." It added, "As a retrial is scheduled, we will faithfully participate in the legal proceedings and continue efforts to improve viewing convenience for disabled customers."
Some in the industry, however, have raised concerns that the overall economic burden on the sector could increase. If the scope of accessibility services required at cinemas is expanded as expected in the retrial, theaters will face higher costs for facilities and equipment, while production companies will have to spend more to create customized content with audio descriptions and subtitles.
The lower court calculated the scope of accessibility services by distinguishing between open screenings, which can be enjoyed by both disabled and nondisabled audiences, and closed screenings, in which receiving devices are provided only to those who need audio descriptions or subtitles. In open screenings, a barrier-free version containing subtitles and audio descriptions is shown.
One film industry official said, "If theaters operate open screenings, they will have to produce separate barrier-free versions, which will increase the burden on production companies and theaters."
Voices have also emerged calling for the issue to be addressed through government policies rather than placing the entire burden on private businesses, given that the theater industry has continued to struggle since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lotte Cultureworks and Megabox Central are currently operating at a loss. Megabox Central, an affiliate of JoongAng Group, is undergoing rehabilitation proceedings after the group recently faced a liquidity crisis.
Another film industry official said, "I agree that disabled audiences should be taken into consideration, but I question whether private businesses alone should bear all of this burden." The official added, "Given that this is about caring for socially vulnerable groups, the issue should be addressed through government policy."
CJ CGV said, "Providing audio description and subtitle services is not something we can decide on our own," calling it "a structural challenge that requires cooperation from content producers and distributors, the establishment of technical standards and the creation of an appropriate institutional framework."
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