A group of lawmakers has submitted a bill to the National Assembly that calls for the government to maintain the current screen quota system for Korean films.

The bill is being sponsored by 38 ruling and opposition legislators.

Under the current screen quota system, local theaters are required to fill at least 40 percent of their programming with domestic films.

The regulations have been in place to protect the local movie industry from competition from overseas, mostly from Hollywood blockbusters.

Last month, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said it would scale down the screen quota system, reversing its earlier position against such an idea.

The U.S. wants the quota to be lowered to 20 percent and eventually scrapped completely as a precondition to signing a bilateral investment treatment with South Korea.