South Korea saw exports of television programs reach 16.2 billion U.S. dollars at this year' s international media market held in France, the country's broadcasting institute said Tuesday.

"Although the exports are slightly down from last year's 16.4 million U.S. dollars, it is a successful result, considering the number of participating firms decreased by almost 16 percent due to the economic crisis," the Korea Broadcasting Institute said in a press release.

Among the sold items, TV dramas took up nearly 93 percent, according to the institute.

A two-part documentary on dinosaurs, produced by the nation's public education channel EBS, was sold to RTL Disney at nearly 100, 000 U.S. dollars, the highest price ever for a South Korean documentary, the institute added.

The 46th Marche International des Programmes de Television ( MIPTV), an annual media market held in Cannes France, was held from March 30 through April 3 and brought together around 3,800 broadcasting firms, including 24 South Korean firms.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2009)