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Hallyu expo to take place in London next month

October 10, 2013

Korean cultural industry targets European markets

2NE1

2NE1

By Chung Hyun-chae

The Korean cultural industry will make inroads into European markets through “hallyu” (Korean wave) content from K-pop, animation, and traditional to contemporary art. The “Korea Brand and Entertainment Expo 2013” (KBEE 2013), the largest event among the nation’s international fairs overseas, will take place in Old Billingsgate, London, U.K. on Nov. 4-6.

Hosted by the Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the annual event will invite 47 companies related to the cultural industry to find European business partners. The expo is expected to raise awareness about Korea’s cultural and industrial prowess there as Korean popular culture has been gaining popularity in Europe countries.

The participants, including DPS, Iconix, LS Networks, YG Entertainment, KCulture, Caffé bene and AOG, which have already found successful businesses using hallyu content, will find new export channels through European major firms.

Marking its fourth anniversary since it first started in Bangkok in 2010, the expo is in line with the government-driven “creative economy” by converging industry and culture.

Promotion zones will be filled with interesting attractions emblematic of a creative economy. There will be an IT convergence experience center where hologram technology is put into K-pop content, and a design exhibition illustrating how design has developed through a showcase of different products. The hologram concert of Psy’s “Gangnam Style” will be unveiled over the three-day period for the first time in a foreign country.

At the expo, Europeans can appreciate traditional Korean culture. The Art Council Korea (ARKO) will open an on-line exhibition of modern Korean artists, and the Chelsea-award winning environmental artist Hwang Ji-hae will introduce “Korean Garden.”

Popular K-pop girl group 2NE1 will serve as promotional ambassador for KBEE. “We expect that 2NE1 will act as a bridge between Europe and Korea, improving connections of commerce and culture,” said KOTRA.