South Korea's film ratings body said Wednesday it is striving to reform its age classification system to better protect children from harmful content.
The Korea Media Rating Board said one of the measures being considered is dividing G, the classification for movies appropriate for children aged 12 or younger, into two or more sub-categories.
Currently, anyone in South Korea may watch G-rated movies, whereas in Germany or the Netherlands, several age classifications exist for that demographic.
In Germany, for instance, some movies may not be watched by children aged 6 or younger because they're considered less able to distinguish fact from fiction, according to the theory of cognitive development.
"Children are being exposed to movies at a younger age than ever," KMRB Chairwoman Lee Kyung-sook told reporters at a briefing. "This leads me to believe that the movie-watching demographic is widening."
But Lee emphasized that a societal consensus was needed before such reform measures could be implemented.
"Any change would require a society-wide consensus," she said. "We're looking into examples in other countries. We're collecting opinions from the various sectors of society. We're even considering making the measure a recommendation rather than a law."
Lee was speaking to reporters at a press conference on the upcoming International Film Classification Forum in the southeastern port city of Busan on Thursday.
The 3rd edition of the conference will gather film ratings officials from seven countries, including Canada, Germany, Singapore, Japan and Thailand. (Yonhap)
