Taking a Child to the Movies, but the Trailer Is Adults Only? Trailers Unsuitable for Children to Be Revised
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- 2026-09-23 09:53:24
- Updated
- 2026-09-23 09:53:24

Han Jun-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee of the National Assembly, announced that he had introduced as lead sponsor a partial amendment to the Promotion of the Motion Pictures and Video Products Act containing these provisions.
Under the current law, movie trailers are classified as either All Ages or Adults Only. Adults Only trailers may be shown only before or after films with the same rating. By contrast, there are no separate screening standards for trailers shown before or after All Ages films that take children's ages or emotional development into account.
Han's concern is that even an All Ages trailer can cause anxiety or fear in young children, depending on how its scenes are portrayed. Parents and guardians who take infants or children to see animated or family films have complained that trailers for other movies featuring zombies, horror, or violence are sometimes shown before the main film, frightening or startling their children.
The amendment would apply additional criteria when All Ages trailers are shown before or after All Ages films. Such trailers could be screened only if they meet standards prescribed by presidential decree, taking into account not only children's ages and emotional development but also the degree of violence, horror, drug-related content, and imitation risk depicted.
The proposal reflects the fact that children may experience excessive fear or anxiety because of unrelated trailers, even when their parents selected an All Ages film for them to watch together. The amendment would take effect six months after promulgation.
Han said, "Parents choose All Ages films so they can watch them with their children, but it needs to be improved so that children are not exposed to scenes that could frighten them before the main film even begins." He added, "The intent is to ensure that parents who visit theaters with their children trusting the All Ages label do not have to cover their children's eyes until the main film starts."

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