Dongguk University and K-EnterTech Hub open an entertainment tech, culture tech and Hallyu course at CES and in LA, from Jan. 5

The Next Hallyu Insight Program links Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Graphic: K-EnterTech Hub

SummaryThe Dongguk University Hallyu Convergence Academy and K-EnterTech Hub will run the Next Hallyu Insight Program 2027 from Jan. 5 to 10, linking CES 2027 in Las Vegas with Dongguk University Los Angeles. Prof. Ko Sam-seok advises the program, which is recruiting about 28 Hallyu researchers, companies, investors and government officials.

The Dongguk University Hallyu Convergence Academy (동국대학교 한류융합학술원) and K-EnterTech Hub (K엔터테크허브) will run the Next Hallyu Insight Program 2027 — Where Hallyu Meets Entertainment Tech in Las Vegas and Los Angeles from Jan. 5 to 10, 2027. The six-day expert program combines the CES 2027 show floor with the campus of Dongguk University Los Angeles (DULA). The Dongguk University Future Convergence Education Institute (미래융합교육원) joins as a partner.

The course is built around entertainment tech, culture tech and Hallyu. Participants see generative AI production tools, immersive venues and streaming and creator platforms first-hand at CES and in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, then examine what those shifts mean for K-content, K-pop and K-culture in the U.S. through Academy lectures and the roundtable.

Generative AI is changing how content is made, distributed and experienced by fans, and the Hallyu ecosystem is being rebuilt with it. In Las Vegas and Los Angeles, participants visit companies trying new approaches and business models around Hallyu to see their revenue structures and partnerships. An Academy expert lecture covers Hallyu and K-wave business models and their future.

Prof. Ko Sam-seok (고삼석), a distinguished professor at Dongguk University, author of Next Hallyu (넥스트 한류), a member of Korea’s National AI Strategy Committee and former standing commissioner of the Korea Communications Commission, advises the program. K-EnterTech Hub leads the program, and smartcms (스마트씨엠에스) handles operations and bookings with K-EnterTech Hub. The program is open to Hallyu researchers (including graduate students), K-content and K-culture companies, content and entertainment tech investors, and government officials, with about 28 participants.

Three days in Las Vegas: two CES tours, a Caesars Palace conference and Sphere

Participants arrive in Las Vegas on Jan. 5 and visit AREA15, an immersive entertainment venue. On Jan. 6, Prof. Ko opens the program with a lecture on the co-evolution of entertainment tech, culture tech and Hallyu. A Nevada policy lunch with Film Nevada and Clark County follows, along with a guided tour of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

On Jan. 7, the group tours entertainment and creator-tech startups at Eureka Park in the Venetian Expo, then attends the Entertainment Tech Conference at Caesars Palace. The evening ends with a show at Sphere.

Next Hallyu Insight Program 2027 itinerary. Graphic: K-EnterTech Hub

To Los Angeles on Jan. 8; roundtable and certificates at Dongguk University LA on Jan. 9

On Friday, Jan. 8, the group flies to Los Angeles to visit a Hollywood studio, LA content companies building new Hallyu business models and K-pop, K-food and K-beauty sites in Koreatown. On Saturday, Jan. 9, Dongguk University LA serves as the lecture hall and networking venue, with an Academy lecture on how American audiences read K-dramas and K-performances, followed by talks from a U.S. distribution and retail company and LA industry experts.

In the afternoon, Prof. Ko chairs the Next Hallyu Roundtable, where participating companies, investors and researchers present U.S. market plans, investment views and research, and discuss them with Academy faculty and LA industry experts. The Academy and K-EnterTech Hub award joint certificates, and the day closes with an LA Hallyu networking evening and a VC roundtable with local content companies and investors.

Four participant types; two local 1:1 meetings for companies and investors

All participants receive CES 2027 registration, two days of expert-guided CES tours, a one-year kentertechhub.com premium subscription, local transport and travel insurance. A pre-departure briefing takes place in Seoul in December, and a results report and sharing session follow in February. The fee is KRW 12 million (about $8,570) per person, covering accommodation (three nights in Las Vegas, two in LA), the briefing book and networking programs. Flights are not included.

Academy behind Hallyu 101 takes its research to the U.S. field

The Hallyu Convergence Academy works to establish Hallyu studies as an academic field. It published Hallyu 101, the first volume of its Hallyu studies series, in June 2025 and formed an 11-member advisory board of academic, industry, policy and media experts in December 2025. In this program, four Academy lectures cover the co-evolution of Hallyu, entertainment tech and culture tech, Hallyu and K-wave business models and their future, AI and K-content technology, and how American audiences receive K-dramas and K-performances, with local talks and site visits picking up the same themes in U.S. industry settings.

Applications are open on the K-EnterTech Hub shop page. For questions, contact Nam Hyun-jung (남현정), CEO of smartcms, at operation@smartcms.co.kr or +82 10-7644-8812.