The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, alongside the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), hosted the 'NEXT K 2026' event at COEX in Seoul on the 17th, unveiling their forecasts and policy directions for the content industry in the coming year.

NEXT K 2026 is a consolidated affair, merging what used to be separate briefing sessions and industry retrospectives into one event. They’ve announced a budget of 705 billion KRW, an 8.2% increase from the previous year, with a heavy emphasis on R&D and global expansion strategies.

KOCCA confirmed that next year’s budget will hit 705 billion KRW. When you look at the breakdown, R&D saw the biggest boost with an extra 45.4 billion KRW, while the gaming sector received an additional 10.1 billion KRW, and global expansion support was upped by 8.3 billion KRW.

Following this, they outlined core strategies across sectors like R&D, broadcasting, gaming, new tech, intellectual property (IP), infrastructure, and content exports. For R&D, the focus is on sharpening competitive technological edges within the culture and tourism sectors while fostering a more innovative ecosystem.

In the realm of gaming and new tech, the agency is aiming for a major overhaul in support systems to foster gaming as a future growth engine, while also pushing for the widespread adoption of AI in content production environments.

As for IP, the goal is to hunt for 'super IPs' and expand global distribution channels across genres. They also teased a shift toward beefing up policy finance support and training a new generation of talent fit for the AI era.

Finally, they’ve set an ambitious target of reaching 50 trillion KRW in cultural exports, banking on a strategic network spanning 30 global hubs to lead the K-content charge.

KOCCA Acting President Yoo Hyun-seok noted, 'The content industry finds itself at a critical juncture where technological environments and global market orders are rapidly shifting. KOCCA is committed to focusing on long-term policy support and strengthening industrial foundations so we don't miss the 'golden time' for K-content to leap forward amid these changes.'

For further details, visit the official KOCCA website to find more information.