The Korean Wave Flag Planted in Dubai... The Middle East Grows Hotter [Export Catalyst K-Content①]

A Young, Urbanized UAE Emerges as a Music Industry Hub for the Middle East and Africa
Aespa's Songs Play at Water Shows, BTS Tracks Heard in Malls and Restaurants
'Korea 360' at Festival City Mall: Promoting the Korean Wave with K-pop at the Forefront

Editor's NoteThe Festival City Mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), was bustling with crowds on the 11th. The attendees were young people from the local area and neighboring countries. From midday, they lined up to await performances by K-pop artists such as EXO's Chen, Gaho, CIX, and Red Sea. The response had been enthusiastic ever since the concert news was announced. Park Young-il, head of the UAE Business Center at the Korea Creative Content Agency, which organized the event, said, "Information spread instantly through social networking services (SNS)," adding, "We could confirm the high level of anticipation." The UAE is a hub for the music industry in the Middle East and Africa. Digital music streaming platforms are well-developed, and world-class entertainment events like the Untold Dubai Festival take place there. Since February last year, Universal Music Group has also been developing a 'music city.' Urbanization and a younger population are seen as opening the door to international exchanges. One of the genres that has been proven early on is K-pop. It is so popular that aespa's "Supernova" plays as background music at the local largest water entertainment venue, Imagine Show. Songs by BTS and BLACKPINK are also frequently heard in shopping malls and restaurants. The government and private companies view this interest as an opportunity to generate new revenue. They promote exports of related products through convention businesses led by K-pop. Representative examples are 'Korea 360,' which held its opening event in Dubai on this day, and CJ ENM's 'KCON.'

Tani bin Ahmad Aljeyudi, Special Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the UAE (right), is being warmly welcomed at the opening ceremony of 'UAE Korea 360' held on the 11th at Dubai Festival City Mall.

'Korea 360' serves as an advanced base for the global spread of the Korean Wave. It promotes and sells domestic tangible and intangible products including K-content, food, cosmetics, daily necessities, traditional culture, and tourism. It is a nationwide project jointly promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Ten public institutions, including the Korea Creative Content Agency, Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, Small and Medium Business Corporation, and Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute, also participate to handle product placement, exhibitions, and promotional marketing.

The first collaboration took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2022. After operating as an exhibition space for a while, a store where sales were possible (With Mu) was opened in June last year. A Ministry of Culture official said, "Last year, we attracted 1.59 million visitors and generated about 2.7 billion KRW in revenue," adding, "It has established itself as an overseas market entry base that promotes distribution and consumption of related products beyond just a Korean Wave promotional center." Lee Won-jae, head of the Asia-Middle East Export Support Team at the Korea Creative Content Agency, stated, "Fashion accessories such as bags and glasses sold the most. K-pop-related products like albums and light sticks, which were introduced later, also greatly contributed to sales growth."

CIX performing to enthusiastic cheers at the opening event of 'UAE Korea 360'

The second target country is the UAE. The opening event was held for two days starting on the 11th. The exhibition hall was set up in Festival City Mall, a large shopping mall located in the Dubai Festival specialized area. It attracts 22 million visitors annually. Nearby are outdoor concert halls, arenas, and performance facilities, making it convenient to hold K-content or related product events. Park, the center head, explained, "It is close to Dubai International Airport and near areas where many Emiratis (native Arab citizens) reside, making it suitable for promoting the Korean Wave."

The exhibition space, covering 1,606 square meters, includes K-content and Korean cultural experience areas, as well as food and cosmetics exhibition and sales zones. A separate business consultation space was also prepared to generate tangible export results. The K-content and Korean cultural experience areas, which can be considered incentives, emphasize 'familiarity.' Park said, "Karaoke rooms where you can sing K-pop songs and music video viewing rooms attracted great interest from the first day. The 'K-Zone,' focused on artist merchandise created through contact with multiple agencies including SM Entertainment, was bustling all day long." He added, "In the future, we plan to showcase music, fashion, broadcasting, webtoons, animation, characters, and games supported by the Korea Creative Content Agency as much as possible."

Local visitors to 'UAE Korea 360' showed great interest not only in K-content but also in Korean culture, including traditional cultural products from the National Museum of Korea.

The tangible and intangible products promoted for sales were recommended and reviewed by the 'UAE Korea 360 Promotion Council,' composed of ten organizations including the Korea Creative Content Agency and KOTRA. In cosmetics, 'Your Vegan' was recommended by KOTRA, 'Verti' by the Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute, and 'Tubs' by the Small and Medium Business Corporation, all passing the review. Lee said, "In home appliances, air sterilizers and food waste processors are receiving good responses. Considering the local situation of purifying seawater for daily use, shower filters and soaps prepared accordingly are also attracting considerable interest."

The sales growth rate may be steeper than that of Korea 360 in Jakarta. This is because a lease contract was signed under conditions that allow offline sales at Festival City Mall. When Korea 360 opened in Jakarta, it was contracted only for exhibition purposes with Lotte Shopping Avenue in Stiabudi Kuningan. Visitors who wanted to purchase products they liked had to access affiliated e-commerce platforms to place orders. In contrast, UAE Korea 360 is conducting offline sales first and plans to promote online sales later in consultation with Festival City Mall. Meanwhile, it closely monitors the reactions of local consumers and buyers and communicates them to domestic companies. Park said, "We plan to continuously communicate with participating organizations to devise ways to activate product sales," adding, "We will encourage more Korean companies to enter the Middle Eastern market."