From ILLIT Goods to Battlegrounds Menus: The Transformation of Traditional Culture

Korea Craft & Design Foundation to Collaborate with HYBE, Krafton, and Others on Product Development
Partnership Signed with Five Leading Domestic Companies

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation announced on June 11 that they will promote a "Traditional Culture Product Development Linked with Companies" project in collaboration with five leading domestic companies: Shinsegae, Woongjin Foods, Kakao Games, Krafton, and HYBE.

A collection of traditional culture products presented by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development through the business of developing traditional culture products linked with companies. Collaborations with Krafton, LG Household & Health Care, and Terarosa expanded traditional patterns and materials into modern daily necessities and goods. Korea Craft & Design Foundation

This project connects corporate brands with traditional culture companies and creators to develop traditional culture products with a modern sensibility. It was established to broaden the consumer base of the traditional culture industry amid growing global interest in Korean culture.

Last year, the Korea Craft & Design Foundation carried out the project with three companies: LG Household & Health Care, Terarosa, and Krafton. This year, the number of participating companies has increased to five, and the scope of collaboration has been expanded to include distribution, food, gaming, and entertainment. When participating companies propose collaboration projects that reflect their brand identity, the foundation matches them with appropriate traditional culture companies and creators, and supports product development and production.

Shinsegae will develop products made from mother-of-pearl and Hanji (traditional Korean paper), reflecting its brand heritage, and unveil them through "House of Shinsegae." Woongjin Foods will develop special traditional culture editions for its "Morning Rice" and "Green Plum" beverages and promote their distribution both domestically and internationally, including in global markets such as Vietnam.

Collaboration in the gaming and entertainment sectors is also underway. Kakao Games will launch Hanbok costumes and gaming lifestyle goods to coincide with the release of its new game "World of Dokkaebi." Krafton’s PUBG STUDIOS will develop traditional food menus utilizing the Battlegrounds IP, which will be showcased at the café inside the complex cultural space "PUBG Seongsu." HYBE will develop traditional accessories and goods in collaboration with global artist ILLIT.

Traditional culture products developed through this project will be gradually released throughout the year via each company's online and offline distribution channels. In December, a pop-up showcase will be held to present all the collaborative products in one place.

Kim Kyungbae, President of the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, stated, "Through this project, traditional culture will be integrated with corporate brands, creating an opportunity for it to expand as both content and an industrial resource within consumers' daily lives. We will continue to expand collaboration with companies so that traditional culture can converge with various industries and create new added value."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.