Korean investment group KM Culture has launched a new sales operation, boasting a slate of big budget pictures.

The new sales outfit is headed by Judy Ahn, former sales executive at Tube Entertainment, the investment and distribution combine that late last year was absorbed by the powerhouse CJ Entertainment.

With interests spanning music and talent management, KM has been an active film investor, backing the productions of Korean titles The Foul King and Hi Dharma! It has also co-invested in the Korean rights of Dancer In The Dark and Bernardo Bertolucci's Besieged.

"KM Culture has always been a very cautious investor. We will continue that tradition and keep the size of our slate quite modest." said Ahn. "Pictures are selected one-by-one as we are dealing with young talents and are therefore particularly sensitive to the qualities of the script."

Her slate is headed by Conduct Zero a comedy action film by Cho Geun-shik, that KM is itself producing and which will be delivered by October. It is also representing Addicted, a Cine2000 mystery-drama by Park Young-hon featuring Joint Security Area star Lee Byung-hun. Delivery is scheduled for December.

Two big budget pictures on the slate are Double Agent, a $5m-$6m intelligence action film and $5m Ice Rain, an adventure drama by first timer Kim Eun-sook. It is also handling Happy End director Jung Jee-woo's The One Behind, a mystery scheduled for release in February 2003