창조산업으로서의 화면해설서비스에 관한 영국과 한국의 비교 연구

Abstract

This study compares the cases of UK and Korea in order to identify the problems of the Korean audio description services and to suggest policy direction. The Communications Act 2003 of UK and Ofcom regulation presents the qualitative and quantitative requirements and standards of audio description service in order to ensure the public obligation of broadcasting. UK broadcasters are providing more than 20% of audio description programs, far exceeding the mandatory 10%. The Notification about Broadcasting Services for Persons with Disabilities of Korea, stipulating the standard of provision of audio description services, requires 10% of audio description programs, as is the case with UK, but almost all broadcasters are providing 11~12%, barely above the required percentage. The Notification presents such insufficient requirements and criteria to fail in securing the publicity of broadcasting. In the UK, while some graduate schools are running audio description service education program, most of the private companies making audio description contents are also educating the writers. Until a few years ago in Korea, the Korea Blind Union, which advocates for visually impaired persons, had been exclusively making audio description contents and educating the writers. Recently, however, small private companies begin to make the contents and attempt to educate the writers, which entails concerns about the quality of educational curriculums and teaching rendered by such private companies.