Agglomeration of the Animation Industry in Seoul, South Korea

Abstract

This chapter examines the characteristics of the transactional relationships and the labor market that determine the agglomeration structure of the animation industry in Seoul, South Korea. Studios are classified into three groups according to their major business partners: those with Japanese clients, those with Western clients, and those with domestic clients. Studios of all types transact with other studios for complementary labor and techniques, and workers learn skills through their personal connections, as they do in the Japanese animation industry. Nevertheless, a more detailed examination reveals that different agglomeration structures have formed in Seoul because the industry in South Korea has developed as a subcontracting industry for Japan and the West, and each studio demands different specializations from its employees.