Following Fandoms for Beloved Characters... Aiming for the 1,000 Trillion Won Market

[Anchor]

K-content, such as K-pop, K-dramas, and films, continues to demonstrate an overwhelming presence on the global stage. However, the IP industry—which expands this content into merchandise and other services—still has a long way to go.

Reporter Kim Gyeong-hui has the details.

[Reporter]

A massive crowd flocked to a Pokémon pop-up store set up in Busan.

Originating from a game launched in 1996 and expanding into animation and character merchandise, Pokémon is cited as a prime example of successfully expanding a single piece of content into multiple business sectors.

Various domestic attempts are also underway to foster global intellectual properties, or IPs, like Pokémon.

K-pop stars are actively launching related merchandise alongside music and albums.

[Park Sang-wuk / Gwanak-gu, Seoul: I already own all the dolls, but I rushed over here as soon as I heard various types of goods were coming out.]

Domestic animation characters such as Pororo, Baby Shark, and Catch! Teenieping are expanding beyond merchandise into experiential industries like performances and exhibitions.

Low-budget content, including social media webtoons, has also recently been gaining attention in the IP industry.

Starting from emoticons, they are knocking on overseas market doors by partnering with various industries such as cosmetics, food, and stationery.

[Park Mi-na / Director at a Licensing Company: In the past, there was a perception that (the IP industry) was only possible if you had animation, but now it seems the fandom follows whatever they personally like.]

[Heo Ji-an / Seodaemun-gu, Seoul: After a exhausting daily routine, I can heal by reading Instagram webtoons, and characters like dogs and cats give me this emotional touching feeling...]

While South Korea's content market size has risen to 8th globally, the content IP industry remains at 17th.

To enhance competitiveness in the global content IP market, which reaches the 1,200 trillion won scale, the government is supporting collaborations between small and medium-sized content creators and large distributors and manufacturers, while also carrying out networking enhancement projects.

Given that the content IP industry requires large-scale capital, a co-investment system that considers IP expansion from the planning stage—much like Japan's "production committee" system that made the theatrical production of the manga Demon Slayer possible—appears necessary.

(Camera Reporter: Jeon Jae-hyun (KNN) | Video Editor: Shin Se-eun | Designer: Seo Seung-hyun | VJ: Oh Se-gwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.