'Character Licensing Fair 2026' wraps up, showcasing K-content IP potential

Character Licensing Fair 2026 [Provided by Korea Creative Content Agency]

The Character Licensing Fair 2026, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and jointly organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and COEX (CEO Cho Sang-hyeon), concluded successfully after a four-day run that began Thursday.

Now in its 25th edition, the fair ran under the theme "Expand: Content IP" and was held alongside Board Game Con 2026, South Korea's leading board game event.

The event drew 241 participating companies — featuring popular characters such as Pororo, Zanmang Loopy, Ganadi and Remini — and attracted about 40,900 visitors in total, including domestic and international content industry professionals, buyers and general attendees. The turnout reflected strong interest across a range of IP industries, from characters and animation to games and brand collaborations.

The venue featured a variety of exhibitions highlighting IP commercialization and cross-industry collaboration. Special pavilions — including the "Build-Up Planning Hall," the "Hallyu IP Hall" and the "Animation Special Hall" — drew particularly strong interest from companies and visitors alike, showcasing content IP business cases and global expansion prospects.

RESCENE, appointed as the fair's promotional ambassador for the second consecutive year, took part in the opening ceremony and performed a celebratory set that energized the crowd.

A business-matching program held throughout the fair brought together domestic content IP companies with local and international buyers for consultations on licensing, merchandising, retail and joint projects. The program logged 1,208 business consultations with a combined deal value of approximately 36.7 billion won ($24.9 million).

Meanwhile, as part of its "IP Licensing Build-Up" project, KOCCA signed separate MOUs with E-mart24 and Lotte GRS on Thursday. Under the agreements, KOCCA plans to connect the partner institutions with small and midsize content companies to support the development, commercialization and retail distribution of content IP collaboration products.

"This event was a meaningful occasion to showcase the competitiveness and growth potential of K-content IP both at home and abroad," KOCCA President Kim Yun-ji said. "We will continue to actively build an industry ecosystem and support overseas expansion so that domestic content companies can pursue diverse IP-based businesses in the global market."

balme@heraldcorp.com