Character fair aims to turn Korea's IP boom into global business

Costumed characters wave to children during a "Character Parade Show" featuring 60 popular characters at the Starfield shopping mall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Nov. 2, 2025. Yonhap

Beloved characters that have become fixtures in toys, games, banking and social media will take center stage next week as Korea's largest character licensing event returns to Seoul, bringing together creators, brands and global buyers under one roof.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday that Character Licensing Fair 2026 will be held from Wednesday through Saturday at Coex Hall A and Hall B1 in Seoul.

Hosted by the ministry and jointly organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency and Coex, the annual event marks its 25th edition under the theme "Expand: Content IP."

The fair will feature 186 companies operating 443 exhibition booths, showcasing popular Korean characters and intellectual property (IP) spanning entertainment, finance and gaming.

Featured properties include KB Vision's Esther Bunny, HNF's Ganadi, Iconix's Zanmang Loopy, Shinhan Bank's Shinhan Friends, Neowiz's mobile game Cats & Soup and Olabox's Remini, based on the girl group RESCENE.

The exhibition will also include themed showcases highlighting collaborations between content creators and other industries, export-ready Korean intellectual property and domestic animation.

The ministry said the event will once again be held alongside Board Game Con 2026, giving visitors access to a broader range of entertainment and creating new opportunities for collaboration across content sectors.

Admission will be free.

RESCENE, the event's honorary ambassador, will take part in Wednesday's opening ceremony with an appointment event and a celebratory performance.

Business matching sessions between exhibitors and domestic and international buyers will also take place throughout the fair, supporting licensing agreements, merchandising, distribution partnerships and joint business projects.

According to the organizers, last year's event attracted 388 overseas buyers from 16 countries, resulting in 1,178 business meetings worth about 66 billion won ($43.7 million) in consultations and an estimated 37 billion won in potential contracts.

"Characters play a key role in expanding content intellectual property into industries including merchandise, distribution and games," the ministry said.

"The ministry will support the fair as a practical business platform for Korean content IP companies while giving the public an opportunity to experience the appeal of K-characters and content IP," it added.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.