WEEKENDER Beyond Korea: Foreign entrepreneurs turn Korean culture into business opportunities

The global popularity of Korean culture continues to grow, with K-pop, dramas, food and beauty products reaching audiences around the world.

For some foreign nationals, that appeal goes beyond consumption. An increasing number of foreign entrepreneurs are turning their interest in Korean culture into business opportunities, finding new ways to bring the country's cultural assets to global markets.

Yet starting a business in a foreign country comes with challenges, from unfamiliar administrative systems to differences in business culture.

The Korea Times spoke with foreign entrepreneurs behind two businesses seeking to bring Korean culture to global markets, exploring the opportunities and challenges they have encountered along the way.

Bringing K-dramas to European audiences

French nationals Christophe Diez and Jeanne Dubresson are working to connect Korean content producers with overseas viewers through the streaming app Kyool.

Diez's interest in Korea began in 2015, when he came across a Korean romantic comedy series while developing new stories. The project led him to explore Korean culture more deeply, eventually connecting him with local industry players and bringing him to the Asian country the following year.

"I became convinced Korea was about to boom, and that we really had to create things between France, Europe and Korea," Diez said. "At the time, some French broadcasters told me Korean content would never work in Europe. I saw the opposite: a small but very passionate audience that nobody was serving."

He launched KFTV, short for Korean French Television, in March 2020 as a platform dedicated to Korean content. Dubresson, a photographer who had worked in Korea intermittently for about a decade, joined the business around that time.

"In 2024, we were selected for the K-Startup Grand Challenge, a government-backed global startup program, and finished in the Top 8. That's when we started to see Korea as a place to build a business, not just a source of content," Diez said.

In February, they launched Kyool, an app offering Korean dramas, films, documentaries, variety shows and short-form series, with content available in French and English. The company works with more than 20 Korean content partners, including SBS, MBC and CJ ENM, as well as smaller production studios and distributors.

Their goal is not simply to distribute established hits.

While global streaming platforms have helped Korean entertainment reach wider audiences, smaller producers can struggle to get their work seen abroad.

"We're not only going for the content that we're sure is going to work really well and make a lot of money," Dubresson said. "We're also trying to help little producers in Korea."

Beyond streaming, the company produces promotional videos for Korean firms targeting European markets and foreign businesses entering Korea.

Building the business also meant navigating Korea's administrative hurdles for foreign nationals.

"We need to submit a bunch of documents for each process, but they can be really hard to find. You have to visit different government websites and download a lot of documents, which takes a long time," Dubresson said.

Even simple online tasks can pose problems. Some online forms cannot accommodate their full names, even though the names they enter must match those on their residence cards and phone registrations for identity verification to work.

"We have to call service providers and ask them to enter our names manually. It happens really often, but we’re getting used to it," Dubresson said.

The two have also adapted to differences in business culture.

Business relationships are built differently in Korea, Dubresson said, where trust often develops over shared meals and face-to-face conversations.

"In Korea, you build relationships and gain people's trust over meals," she said. "And you sometimes even sign contracts over meals — something that would be unimaginable in France."

Looking ahead, the founders plan to relaunch Kyool in 2027 as a full-fledged web and app platform before expanding into Quebec and the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, Spain and Italy.

Their ambition is to build more projects connecting Korean producers with European audiences and make Kyool "the European home for Korean culture, not just a video catalogue."

Making Hangeul a brand people can play with

Indian entrepreneur Nidhi Agrawal is building a business around another side of Korean culture: its alphabet.

In 2024, she teamed up with American TV personality Tyler Rasch to launch crackers shaped like Hangeul letters. The idea has since grown into "Kalphabets," a brand combining snacks with Korean language and cultural references.

"We didn't want to become just a company that sells snacks. We wanted to build a brand," Agrawal said.

That ambition has shaped how the business has grown. With a six-person team, the company now sells not only crackers but also stickers, key rings, T-shirts and hats featuring Hangeul and Korean cultural content.

Some of its products have even been used as gifts at cultural events organized by Korean embassies overseas, including a Korean film festival in Belgium.

"We want people to think of Hangeul not just as something they have to learn or study, but as something fun they can play with," she said. "We want Kalphabets to be the kind of gift people can easily associate with Korea."

Now in its third year, Kalphabets has expanded its product range and retail presence. Its products are available at more than 50 locations, including cafes, retail stores and duty-free outlets, attracting both Korean and international consumers.

Agrawal said Korea offers an advantage for businesses looking to gauge consumer responses to new products because consumers here are quick to pick up on trends.

"When you try something new, you get a response quickly. People may not tell you directly, but they will leave honest reviews online," she said. "That can be really helpful.”

Running a business in Korea can be challenging even for Agrawal, who has lived here for 11 years and speaks Korean fluently.

"Sometimes, our names simply don’t fit the registration systems," she said, explaining that identity verification problems can complicate contracts with larger companies.

Banking and logistics have posed further challenges.

Agrawal said she still cannot use some online banking services because she is a foreign national. Some courier companies have also refused to register accounts under her name, leaving the company using a Korean employee's name for certain accounts.

"Sometimes, because we are foreigners, we cannot complete a process online and have to go somewhere in person or submit additional documents, which is very time-consuming," she said. "We wonder why we have to go through this when we are a Korean company."

Despite these hurdles, Kalphabets is now looking beyond Korea to reach overseas consumers.

"We still have a lot to do," Agrawal said. "Until now, we have mainly marketed to domestic consumers through local channels. Now we are exploring various ways to appeal to foreign consumers."