Browsing: Koreas

South Korea’s Big Four agencies partner with the government to launch the ‘Fanomenon’ festival in 2027

The opening day of the Character Licensing Fair 2026 transformed the COEX exhibition center into a packed idol concert, indicating a significant shift in how South Korea scales up its cultural exports. Boosted by the global momentum of the Netflix animation KPop Demon Hunters and a headline appearance by K-pop group Rescene (who are also…

Abigail Jazmine Llamo attends NCT DREAM TOUR “THE DREAM SHOW.” Courtesy of Abigail Jazmine Llamo

In this episode, we explore the modern revival of South Korea’s cultural traditions, from the reimagined hanbok to Jeju’s legendary haenyeo

South Korea’s cultural exports hit a historic high last year as the global demand for its entertainment ecosystem drives staggering economic returns. Bolstered by explosive music growth and digital platforms, Korean Wave exports touched $18.98 billion USD, marking a 15.9% year-on-year increase, also fortifying the nation’s status as a cultural superpower. 

The National Museum of Korea’s merchandise brand, MU:DS, has set commercial records, generating ₩21.8 billion (~ $14.5 million USD) in MU:DS’s first-half sales for 2026. This depicts a 90% increase from the ₩11.48B (~ $7.6M) recorded during the same period last year. The upward financial trajectory shows that traditional Korean heritage souvenirs can also complement…