South Korea will hold an exposition in China to further promote the popularity of its culture there, riding on the recent successes of Korean TV shows in the world's second-largest economy, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday.

The Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo will run from Thursday to Saturday at Intex Shanghai, an exhibition center in China's eastern port city, the ministry said in a statement.

The expo is significant because South Korea and China signed a free trade agreement in June, with the former awaiting parliamentary approval.

By hosting this expo, South Korea hopes to make a head start in widening "hallyu," or the worldwide popularity of Korean culture, in China, where Korean dramas such as "My Love from the Star" and "The Heirs" have been popular.

More than a hundred South Korean companies in all areas of culture, including entertainment, IT, fashion and food, will participate in the expo to lure some 500 Chinese buyers and investors, the ministry said.

In line with South Korea's previously stated goal to nurture its content industry, nearly 30 of its companies will come from TV, animation, games and comic books.

Some of its highlights include exhibition halls divided by content genre; one-on-one networking sessions between South Korean companies and Chinese buyers or investors; online gaming tournaments among participants from the two countries; a special audition by JYP Entertainment; and performances by boy band Infinite and girl group Lovelyz.

KBEE is an annual event whose most recent destinations include Britain and Brazil. (Yonhap)