The Korea Theater Association (KTA) released an official statement Thursday imploring the government to readjust the social distancing guidelines on Jan. 17.

“Cinemas lay empty and the daily local box office sales have plummeted to 10,000,” the association said. “Theaters suffering from economic depravity are successively closing down. At this rate we cannot avoid the unavoidable where the entire film industry will fall into ruins.”

The organization requests the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to “strongly consider adjusting the social distancing in the theater’s seating arrangements.”

The two top criteria are to allow acquaintances to sit next to each other and readjusting screening times. The current guidelines say all screenings must end by 9 p.m.

“Theaters are strictly following the preventive measures more than any other multiuse facilities, which is why there hasn’t been any cases of secondary infection within theaters,” it argued. “We will continue to focus on the preventive measures.”

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]