# Korean Film Archive

The Korean Film Archive (KOFA; Korean: 한국영상자료원), or the Korean Federation of Film Archives, is the sole film archive in South Korea with nationwide coverage. It was founded in Seoul in 1974 as a non-profit organization. In 1976 KOFA joined the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) as an observer, and gained its full membership of FIAF in 1985.
KOFA's main duties are to collect, preserve and categorize films and film-related materials, as well as to foster accessibility to its collections. Most of remaining originals and copies of Korean films are preserved in KOFA. Its main center is in Sangam-dong, Seoul, with two local branch centers in Busan and Bucheon, and a secondary preservation center in Seongnam. Its main center has several public facilities, including Cinematheque KOFA, Korean Film Museum, and a reference library. Recently KOFA has concentrated on digitization of Korean films, and has published several features of the Classic Korean Cinema DVD Collections. It also operates the most reliable online database of Korean films, as well as an online film streaming service.

## History

It was established as a Korean film storage center in 1974 in Namsan-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, and moved to Seocho-dong in 1990. Since 1991, it has been renamed as Korea Media Center by foundations. It was reorganized into a special corporation based on the Motion Picture Promotion Act in 2002. It built its own building in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu in May 2007 and formally reopened in the following year. It is composed of auxiliary and restored facilities equipped with an anti-air and photo-related facility for preserving film and other materials, Cinema Tech that provides movie screening and current affairs services, and a cinema that illuminates Korean film industry through the exhibition of film related materials. It is a member of the International Federation of Film Executions (FIAF) regular members, who hosted the Federation General Meeting in Seoul in 2002. It is a public organization for cultural services under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Korea government.

## Functions

The archive provides the following services:
* Film Collection and Categorization
* Film Preservation, Restoration and Digitization
* Film Screening and Referential Services
* Publication of Academic and Referential Resources
* Operation of Online Databases on Korean Cinema
* KOFA Film Collection Search
* Korean Movie Database online
* Operation of the Korean Film Museum

## Blu-ray releases

To coincide with its upcoming 40th anniversary in 2014, KOFA started releasing restored Korean classic and lesser known films on Blu-ray.
One of the criteria for release of the films is their place in TOP 100 Korean films list (although there has been some films released in later years that are not on the list).
The Housemaid, Aimless Bullet and The March of Fools received equal number of votes and they occupy the first place.
| Spine No. | Title | Director | Original release | TOP 100 No. |
| 001 | The Housemaid | Kim Ki-young | 1960 | 1. |
| 001-1 | The Housemaid (reissue) | Kim Ki-young | 1960 | 1. |
| 002 | The March of Fools | Ha Gil-jong | 1975 | 3. |
| 003 | Heavenly Homecoming to Stars | Lee Jang-ho | 1974 | 6. |
| 004 | Chilsu and Mansu | Park Kwang-su | 1988 | 63. |
| 005 | Gagman | Lee Myung-se | 1989 | 64. |
| 006 | Aimless Bullet | Yu Hyun-mok | 1961 | 2. |
| 007 | The Last Witness | Lee Doo-yong | 1980 | 50. |
| 008 | People in the Slum | Bae Chang-ho | 1982 | 55. |
| 009 | Sopyonje | Im Kwon-taek | 1993 | 12. |
| 010 | Lovers in Woomukbaemi | Jang Sun-woo | 1990 | 66. |
| 011 | Ieodo | Kim Ki-young | 1977 | 48. |
| 012 | Jagko | Im Kwon-taek | 1980 | 52. |
| 013 | A Fine, Windy Day | Lee Jang-ho | 1980 | 7. |
| 014 | A Day Off | Lee Man-hee | 1968 | 43. |
| 015 | White Badge | Chung Ji-young | 1992 | 73. |
| 016 | The Devil's Stairway | Lee Man-hee | 1964 | - |
| 017 | Goryeojang | Kim Ki-young | 1963 | 29. |
| 018 | Mother and a Guest | Shin Sang-ok | 1961 | 9. |
| 019 | Green Rain | Jung Jin-woo | 1966 | 37. |
| 020 | North Korean Partisan in South Korea | Chung Ji-young | 1990 | 68. |
| 021 | The Flower in Hell | Shin Sang-ok | 1958 | 23. |
| 022 | Whale Hunting | Bae Chang-ho | 1984 | 57. |
| 023 | The Coachman | Kang Dae-jin | 1961 | 5. |
| 024 | The Road to Sampo | Lee Man-hee | 1975 | 46. |
| 025 | Burning Mountain | Kim Soo-yong | 1967 | 38. |
| 026 | Sorum | Yoon Jong-chan | 2001 | 88. |
| 027 | The Hut | Lee Doo-yong | 1981 | 51. |
| 028 | Declaration of Fools | Lee Jang-ho | 1983 | 11. |
| 029 | A Bloodthirsty Killer | Lee Yong-min | 1965 | - |
| 030 | A Hometown in Heart | Yoon Yong-gyu | 1949 | 18. |
| 031 | Black Republic | Park Kwang-su | 1990 | 69. |