South Korea's Supreme Court Rules Cinemas' Lack of Subtitles and Audio Description Is Discrimination

South Korea's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that movie theaters' failure to provide audio descriptions and subtitles for people with visual and hearing impairments constitutes disability discrimination, overturning a lower court verdict that strictly limited the number of screenings required to offer the accommodations.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in February 2016 against three multiplex operators, including CJ CGV, by two people with visual disabilities and two with hearing disabilities, who demanded that theaters provide subtitles and audio descriptions for all movies screened.

In November 2021, the Seoul High Court ruled that theaters with 300 or more seats must provide subtitles and audio descriptions at a frequency equivalent to 3 percent of their total screenings, citing the excessive financial burden on movie theater operators.

The Supreme Court ordered the high court to reconsider the case, saying it had placed excessive weight on the financial burden of theater operators. The defendants' failure to provide the plaintiffs with audio descriptions, subtitles and receiving devices constitutes a discriminatory act prohibited under South Korea's disability discrimination law, the court said.

Supporters of broader access, including members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination group, held a press conference outside the Supreme Court after the ruling. The high court must now re-examine how many screenings at large multiplex theaters are required to offer subtitles and audio description.