K-Content Expo Adds Consumer Experiences to Export Consultations

MCST and KOCCA Hold Three-Day Event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
45 Korean Companies and 163 Buyers Take Part
More Than 3,000 Visitors Flock to Character Festival

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) announced on Oct. 26 that they had held the K-Content Expo at GEM Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for three days from Oct. 20.

Episode Company conducts export consultations at the K-Content Expo in Vietnam. / Korea Creative Content Agency.

The K-Content Expo is a business-to-business (B2B)-focused initiative that supports Korean content companies in entering emerging and potential markets. At this export consultation event, 45 Korean companies and 163 buyers from Southeast Asia took part in 926 one-on-one consultations. The consultation value was estimated at about $64.28 million (about KRW 85.3 billion).

Korean companies also signed 39 memorandums of understanding (MOUs). The value of contracts being pursued is estimated at about $22.18 million (about KRW 29.4 billion). A KOCCA official said, "Before the consultation event, we held a 'Big Buyer Special Session,' which gave participating companies and key buyers a chance to identify areas of interest and potential collaboration in advance."

Outside the export consultation event, a Character Licensing Festival was held. Featuring intellectual property (IP) from animation and character companies, the festival offered exhibitions, promotions, and hands-on programs for general consumers (B2C), drawing more than 3,000 local visitors. A KOCCA official said, "By bringing export consultations and consumer exhibitions and hands-on experiences together in one venue, we enabled participating companies and buyers to see local reactions firsthand."

Vietnamese visitors and buyers participate in a random play dance program./Korea Creative Content Agency.

During the event, the Korea Copyright Commission and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency supported B2B participants with overseas copyright registration, legal consultations on intellectual property and contracts, and infringement prevention and response. The Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam ran Korean craft workshops for general visitors.

Kwon Otae, head of KOCCA's Content Export Division, said, "It was a meaningful event where we linked export consultations with hands-on experiences for local consumers to assess the market competitiveness of K-content and its potential for expansion into Southeast Asia. We will continue to strengthen support for overseas expansion so that Korean companies can achieve tangible results."

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