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Korea launches $2.2 mil. fund to boost indie K-pop labels
The faces of all seven BTS members light up the night sky during a special drone show commemorating the group’s Busan concert at Gwangalli Beach in Busan, Saturday. Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
The Korean government is stepping in to fortify the "backbone" of the K-pop industry, launching a new initiative aimed at helping midsized and small music agencies expand globally.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, alongside the Korea Creative Content Agency, said Tuesday they selected 10 indie K-pop groups for the inaugural "Global Leap Forward Support" project. Under the initiative, each selected agency will receive up to 300 million won ($218,000) annually for up to three years to finance international promotions, music videos and overseas tours.
The intervention comes amid growing concerns over market polarization.
While global K-pop exports surged 32.4 percent year-on-year in 2025, the market remains heavily dominated by a handful of conglomerate-backed "Big Four" entertainment giants. According to government data, major conglomerates spent an average of 43.1 billion won on music production in 2023, compared to a meager 1.49 billion won on average for smaller agencies. Furthermore, major label acts performed abroad 20 times more frequently than their indie counterparts.
To break down historical bureaucratic barriers, the ministry is discarding rigid category-specific funding. Instead, agencies can flexibly allocate resources according to their tailored international strategies.
The initial cohort represents a diverse cross-section of the sub-mainstream scene. It includes the five-member girl group Rescene, which is targeting Japanese and American markets with upcoming appearances at KCON LA, and Xikers, a 10-member boy group planning a major push into Japan. Other beneficiaries are charting nontraditional expansion paths: the seven-member rookie group TUNEXX plans to film a music video and hold special showcases in Mumbai, India, while the five-piece indie band can’t be blue is leveraging its official selection in Spotify's Radar program to build grassroots global fandoms.
"For K-pop to achieve sustainable growth, the smaller agencies that form the backbone of our industry must be able to thrive," said Choi Sung-hee, director general of the ministry's Content Media Industry Bureau. "We hope this initiative sparks another 'small-agency miracle' to lead K-pop's future."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.