- Concluding its June 25–28 run at KINTEX and SONO Calm GOYANG, the event establishes itself as a flagship K-Culture industry-linked event, extending beyond K-content into beauty, fashion, food, and more

- 151 buyer companies from 27 countries participate, with some 1,900 export consultations and 17 MOUs and contracts achieved

The “2026 MyK FESTA,” where visitors could experience the full spectrum of K-Culture—covering K-pop, content, beauty, food, fashion, and lifestyle—successfully concluded after being held from June 25 to 28 at KINTEX and SONO Calm GOYANG in Goyang, drawing approximately 56,000 domestic and international visitors, including around 18,000 international tourists. This exceeded last year’s turnout of approximately 46,000 visitors, highlighting the increasing popularity of the event, now in its second year.

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister CHAE Hwi-young, MCST) and organized by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (President PARK Chang-sik, KOFICE), the event featured pop-up stores where companies and organizations across K-Culture presented exhibitions, offered hands-on experiences, and sold products, as well as talk programs featuring creators from various K-Culture fields. In addition, through export consultation sessions involving domestic and international companies, the event expanded overseas sales channels for the K-Culture industry and enhanced the potential for tangible business cooperation, establishing itself as a leading K-Culture industry-linked event.

A Full Day Celebrating K-Culture, Featuring Interactive Pop-up Shops and Exciting K-Pop Performances

“MyK Street,” the exhibition and hands-on space set up in Hall 3 of KINTEX Exhibition Center 1, was designed to expand interest in K-content by integrating it with the Korean lifestyle as a whole. A total of 156 companies participated, including major brands such as Nongshim, Dong-A Pharmaceutical, Musinsa, Isaac Toast, and Jeju Samdasoo, drawing visitors’ attention with a variety of booths, hands-on programs, and new-product promotions. Booths from relevant government bodies—including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), and the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency—along with major festival booths from local governments such as Boryeong and Jangheung, also took part in showcasing the appeal of K-Culture. A tourist from Germany shared, “I came to the venue to see a performance by my favorite K-pop artist, but it was wonderful to also experience distinctive ‘K-Fashion’ and ‘K-Food.’” The visitor added, “It was especially impressive that I could find out which colors suit me through the personal color diagnosis experience.”

At “MyK Voice,” held in Hall 3, creators and cultural figures from various K-Culture fields engaged with audiences, including film and drama director LEE Byeong-heon, webtoon artist JOO Dong-geun, character artist Memil, musical actor KIM Ho-young, fashion expert Alice Funk, makeup artist RISABAE, and the group FIFTY FIFTY. The sessions drew an enthusiastic response from audiences, including those who had registered in advance, visitors who dropped by after browsing the pop-up stores, and staff from the companies exhibiting in the various K-Culture pavilions. In particular, at the “K-Seafood Cooking Show,” Chef Yeo Kyung-rae presented dishes featuring seafood, including seasonal abalone and oysters from the southern coast, drawing long lines of audience members eager to taste them. The performance and dance team “ARTBEAT,” which has a global fan base, closed the program with a K-pop cover dance performance.

The K-pop concert “MyK Live,” held on June 26 and 27 in Halls 1 and 2 of KINTEX Exhibition Center 1, brought together approximately 26,000 K-pop fans from Korea and abroad. Footage from the concert, which featured leading K-pop acts such as HIGHLIGHT, TREASURE, RIIZE, and Hearts2Hearts, will be released on the tvN channel in August. It will also be released in stages on the official “MyK FESTA” YouTube channel to share the excitement of the event once again with K-Culture fans worldwide.

Export and Platform-Entry Consultations Expand Overseas Sales Channels for Korean K-Culture Companies

“MyK Trade,” held on June 25 and 26 at SONO Calm GOYANG, ran business programs designed to systematically support Korean K-Culture companies in entering overseas markets. A total of 201 domestic companies and 151 buyer companies from 27 countries participated, introducing products and services across various fields—including content, beauty, food, fashion, and lifestyle—and holding one-on-one export consultations. In particular, this year the event also held platform-entry consultations with global online platforms such as Alibaba.com and Qoo10.jp, broadening opportunities to enter overseas online distribution networks and earning positive responses from participating companies. During the event, approximately 1,900 consultations were held—including one-on-one export consultations and platform-entry consultations with global online platforms—and 17 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and contracts were signed on-site. On-site transactions tallied so far amount to approximately KRW 39.35 billion, while potential transaction value from consultations expected to lead to follow-up negotiations is estimated at approximately KRW 389.17 billion. Among these, an agreement between KALAVINKA, a domestic participant in the media content sector, and the Hong Kong buyer Agogo Animation exemplifies how global interest in K-content is expanding into tangible demand for the products and services of Korean K-Culture companies.

A representative of a Mexican buyer company that participated in the export consultations said, “This event was a great opportunity to discover new products and build meaningful business relationships.” The representative added, “Through consultations with Korean companies, we explored concrete possibilities for future cooperation.” In addition, LEE Yun-jeong, CEO of Nobban Anseong Bangjja Yugi Co., Ltd., which signed an MOU with a Chinese buyer, said, “As a small business, we faced many difficulties in finding overseas buyers and holding consultations, but through this export consultation event, we were able to introduce our products directly to overseas buyers and hold consultations.” The CEO added, “It was a meaningful time in which we met buyers with the potential to lead to future results and gained confidence about entering overseas markets.”

The MCST plans to continue supporting the overseas expansion of K-Culture companies through “MyK FESTA” and to develop it into a comprehensive event that allows foreign visitors to Korea to experience the full breadth of K-Culture.