Hanul & Jeju Shifts to 'Toll Fee Industry' Beyond 'Goods'... Transforming the K-Culture Landscape

Hanul & Jeju announced on January 2 that it will launch a full-scale strategy to transform its K-culture business from selling 'goods' to building 'infrastructure' through a partnership with Hanul Semiconductor and Vitro. The goal is to establish a structural industrial model that generates recurring revenue, rather than simply selling fan merchandise.

The starting point of this initiative is Hanul Semiconductor's acquisition of Vitro. On December 31, Hanul Semiconductor completed the payment of the remaining acquisition amount and finalized board procedures, making Vitro a wholly owned subsidiary. As a result, the business structure that combines Vitro's fan device technology with Hanul Semiconductor's manufacturing, mass production, and system integration capabilities has entered the practical commercialization stage.

Vitro's core competitive edge lies in its 'mapping' technology. This technology enables the simultaneous delivery of different signals and productions to multiple audience members within a single space, allowing for precise control over fan engagement experiences in large venues and interactive spaces. Vitro is the only company to have secured a U.S. patent for this technology, and it has also completed patent registrations or applications in major countries across Japan, Europe, and Asia.

The technology has already been proven on the global stage. Last year, Vitro successfully directed an ATEEZ concert at the Tokyo Dome. Over the past two years, the mapping technology has been applied to more than 100 large-scale events, including the MAMA Awards in Japan and Hong Kong, Cho Yongpil's 80th Liberation Anniversary Grand Project "This Moment Forever," as well as concerts by Lim Youngwoong and IU. The technology is credited with transforming the level of concert production.

The company explained that the core of the change now lies in evolving from 'one-off' events to a 'platform.' Vitro's real-time control digital hardware, combined with Hanul Semiconductor's manufacturing and system integration expertise, is being redefined as a scalable hardware platform, moving beyond single-use merchandise (MD).

In addition, Hanul & Jeju will integrate the 'Jeju' spatial IP. The plan is to design exclusive devices, only available in Jeju, to be linked with tourism and experiential spaces-not just as products for purchase, but as a form of 'access rights.' By leveraging Jeju's status as a top tourist destination with approximately 14 million annual visitors, the strategy is to create a new K-culture consumption model through unique experiences and dedicated devices available exclusively on the island.

This approach is distinct from the existing Korean Wave (Hallyu) goods industry. Until now, the goods market has been a one-off structure, with sales fluctuating sharply based on an artist's popularity. Hanul Group aims to integrate manufacturing, devices, platforms, and spaces into a single system that generates recurring revenue regardless of live events. In particular, with the recent easing of the Korean Wave ban in China, Hanul Group is considering using the Jeju IP-based business model as a springboard to enter global markets, including China and the United States.

A company representative stated, "This is not a structure that sells goods, but rather a business that adds a 'toll fee' on top of fandom and tourism flows," adding, "The essence is not entertainment, but infrastructure industry."

The representative further emphasized, "We are considering a replicable model that can be expanded from Jeju to Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East," and added, "There is a high possibility that Hanul Group will be re-evaluated not as a goods company, but as a company possessing K-culture operational infrastructure."