U.S. Film Makers Charge Korea With Unfair Trade and Pirating

The American film industry formally asked the Reagan Administration Thursday to begin unfair trade practices proceedings against South Korea--and eventually retaliate if necessary--over that country’s restrictions on the distribution of foreign-made films.

In a lengthy complaint lodged here, the Motion Picture Assn. of America Inc. charged that Korea’s government-run censorship restricts foreign films so severely that it essentially amounts to a quota on imports.

It complained also that the Korean government has prohibited American firms from importing and distributing films there. And it alleged that Seoul has failed to protect copyrights on American-made video cassettes and laser discs, enabling pirates to flourish.

Initiates Deadline

Under U.S. trade law, the Administration has until Oct. 28 to decide whether to accept the industry’s plea and seek negotiations with Korea to resolve the problem. If the two nations cannot agree within a year, the U.S. could retaliate by restricting imports from Korea.

However, U.S. officials speculated Thursday that, if the Administration did take on the case, it probably would push to resolve it before President Reagan leaves office next January. The film industry is based in California and Reagan is a former actor.

The industry petition was among a spate of such complaints filed this week--legally just in time to force the Administration to make an initial decision on them just before the November election. On Tuesday, the U.S. rice industry filed a similar complaint against Japan.

Industry officials said that they also wanted to gain added impact by timing the petition to embarrass the South Korean government a few days before the opening of the 1988 Summer Olympics, which open in Seoul Sunday.

Association to Comment

The Motion Picture Assn. refused to comment on the petition. A spokesman said late Thursday that the trade group plans a news conference Friday morning to announce its action formally.

Besides the association, the petition is being filed on behalf of eight individual film makers--20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-United Artists, Paramount Pictures, Orion Pictures, Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures and Buena Vista studios.