Warner Brothers Abandoning Korean Video Market

Warner Brothers will officially close its video distribution market in Korea next month after it releases “The Dark Knight.”

Warner is the last of the major U.S. studios to withdraw from the collapsing entertainment market in Korea.  The company launched its Korean arm in 1999 with aggressive discount policies to attract consumers, especially in the wake of the downturn of Korean home video segment in the past several years.

Warner has said that it will concentrate on digital distribution in Korea, while consigning DVD business to a local licensor.

The Korean arm of Warner Brothers will close on December 19.