Success Potential Rises for the '2024 Cheonan K-Culture Expo' Industry Fair

Opening of Hallyu Representative Industry Halls such as Beauty, Webtoon, and Food
KOTRA Supports Overseas Expansion with Export Consultation Booths

The '2024 Cheonan K-Culture Expo' is entering its third day since opening and is increasing its chances of success as an 'industrial expo.' View of the Food Industry Exhibition Hall

The ‘2024 Cheonan K-Culture Expo’ is entering its third day since opening and is increasing its chances of success as an industrial expo.

First introduced last year, the Cheonan K-Culture Expo has undergone various transformations this year. The expo schedule, previously held on Liberation Day, was moved to May to avoid the heat, while reducing fatigue from back-to-back large-scale festivals such as the ‘Heungtaryeong Dance Festival’ and ‘Bbangbbang Day’.

Notably, whereas last year’s event focused mainly on performances like K-POP concerts, OST concerts, K-musical gala concerts, and K-POP cover dance festivals, this year a separate industrial pavilion was opened to showcase the excellence of various industries based on Korean culture, including K-Beauty, K-Webtoon, and K-Food.

Each industrial pavilion featured 16 food companies and 12 beauty companies selected through a rigorous screening process. The webtoon exhibition hall hosts popular webtoon special exhibitions such as ‘Solo Leveling,’ as well as ‘Cyndic, I’m Also a Webtoon Artist’ and the ‘Booktory Book Fair.’

In particular, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) operates export consultation booths to support export consultations for each company, demonstrating that the expo is enhancing economic value through cultural industries beyond just being an event to watch and enjoy.

The ‘Industry Conference,’ which allows visitors to explore the past, present, and future of K-Culture, has successfully captured both popularity and professionalism.

To break the stereotype that conferences are only for experts and difficult for the general public to access, a variety of events such as relay lectures by celebrities, talk shows, and autograph sessions have been prepared, drawing crowds comparable to the main performances.

On the 23rd, a talk show and autograph session were held with Kim Botong, the author of the Naver webtoon ‘D.P. Dog’s Day,’ which is the original work of the Netflix drama ‘D.P.’ On the 24th, Hyejin Yang, the author of the webtoon ‘Joseon Love Story - Nokdujeon,’ introduced the episode about the creation of the historical webtoon Nokdujeon.

On the 25th, a relay lecture on trends titled ‘A Preview of the New Hallyu’ will be held featuring film director Jang Hangjun, Goddess Ticket CMO Choi Junyoung, Nongshim Co., Ltd. Noodle Marketing Office Executive Director Shim Kyucheol, and broadcaster Jang Dongmin.

The "2024 Cheonan K-Culture Expo" is entering its third day since opening and is increasing its chances of success as an "industrial expo." A family participating in the Solo Leveling special exhibition held at the webtoon business hall.

Participants’ reactions were also enthusiastic.

A 16-year-old boy, A, who visited with his family from Daejeon, said, “I submitted a field trip application to my school to see the special exhibition of ‘Solo Leveling’ and came to the expo with my family. The event is bigger than I expected, and besides the webtoon exhibition, there are many things to see and enjoy, so I can have a great time with my family.”

Mayor Park Sangdon stated, “As K-Culture industries such as K-POP, film, beauty, and food globalize and receive much love worldwide, we have started a true industrial expo that gathers, exhibits, and industrializes these. We hope you will pay close attention to K-Culture, which connects the past and present and moves toward a developed future.”