Through active research and promotion activities, Korea will focus on exporting lesser known cultural materials such as animation, cartoon characters and mobile games in 2012, the Korea Creative Content Agency said in a briefing Tuesday.

The KCCA, affiliated with the Culture Ministry, plans to spend up to 240 billion won on new projects aimed at enhancing international exchanges and exports, backing new firms, linking business with traditional Korean culture and finding emerging markets, officials said.

Some 400 experts, business representatives and government officials attended the three-hour session Tuesday, indicating the growing influence of Korean culture around the globe.

“We believe it is important to share views and cooperate with related sectors to keep the world interested in the Korean culture,” Lee Jae-woong, president of the content agency, said in his welcoming speech.

To lead the trend in the world cultural market, the KCCA plans to focus more on 3-D, smart content and computer graphics in 2012. Noting the growing importance of a good story, the agency also plans to increase support for authors and seek young writers with new ideas.

The KCCA also plans to financially back broadcast materials, cartoons and characters with high possibility of export, and has set aside a separate budget of some 2.4 billion won for the production of so-called “global animation” aimed at sales in the U.S. and China.

Up to 2 billion won has been set aside for the four KCCA branches in Tokyo, Beijing, Los Angeles and London to help sales and promotion in the regions.

By holding an Asia animation forum in July this year, the KCCA also aims to create a joint market for animation among several countries including Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. A separate cultural forum will be held among Korea, China and Japan during the year over possible joint projects and exchange programs.

A licensing fair for characters, an exhibition for new mobile games, an international conference on recent cultural trends and networking, and various other events are also lined up for both local and overseas buyers and cultural content creators.

The KCCA has also set aside a large budget for the pop music sector to maintain the world’s interest in K-pop.

The agency plans to make more efforts in finding talented indie musicians and backing the export of K-pop by holding global showcases and music markets.

The agency also has plans lined up for education and training programs, and effective arbitration measures over copyright disputes. 



By Shin Hae-in
(hayney@heraldcorp.com)