Targeting 'Japanese Market Exports' with Hallyu Expo... Record High of 10 Million Visitors Expected This Year

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to Host 'Tokyo Hallyu Expo'

The government will hold a Hallyu Expo in Tokyo to support Korean companies' entry into the Japanese market.

On the 11th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it will hold the "2024 Tokyo Hallyu Expo" for two days from the 12th to the 13th in Tokyo, Japan, together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

The Hallyu Expo is an event that supports the overseas market entry and brand enhancement of promising domestic consumer goods and services by utilizing local Hallyu in regions where Hallyu is spreading. This year, ahead of the 2025 Osaka Expo and the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, it will be held in Tokyo, Japan, to strategically support Korean companies' entry into the Japanese market through Hallyu.

The 2024 Tokyo Hallyu Expo will also feature a K-pop concert and a large-scale export consultation meeting. Actively utilizing K-pop, which is receiving high attention overseas, in the export consultation meeting, a total of 428 companies (128 domestic and 300 overseas buyers) will participate. Approximately 40,000 K-pop concert attendees are also expected to visit the Hallyu Expo.

An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, "Since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1965, Korea-Japan relations are marking their 60th anniversary in 2025, increasing their importance as partners for economic cooperation beyond simple bilateral cooperation." He added, "In addition to government-level cooperation, private exchanges between the two countries are also expanding, with the number of mutual visitors reaching 9.27 million in 2023, and this year is expected to surpass 10 million, the highest ever."

The Ministry plans to strategically utilize the Tokyo Hallyu Expo to promote the excellence of consumer goods and services such as K-food, beauty, and goods, as well as materials, parts, and equipment companies to Japanese buyers, and to directly introduce Korea's excellent consumer products to Japanese consumers. Along with this, it has focused on actively reflecting changing consumer trends by making full use of online platforms and various experience-centered industry and cultural linkage programs.

Cho Ik-no, Director of Trade Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "Japan is one of Korea's most important partners in terms of geographical proximity, complementary economic relations, and potential for future cooperation." He added, "Through the Hallyu Expo held ahead of the Osaka Expo and the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, we will expand the Hallyu effect into our K-consumer goods exports to maximize the synergy effect of Hallyu and contribute to export growth."