The K-Content Industry Council, bringing together content organizations across all domestic genres, officially launched after holding a vision proclamation ceremony at the National Assembly and setting specific targets to achieve 220 trillion won in industry revenue and 27 billion dollars in exports by 2030.
On Tuesday, September 15, the council held the "K-Culture 400 Trillion, K-Content 220 Trillion Vision Proclamation Ceremony" in the Main Auditorium of the National Assembly Members' Office Building, hosted by Lee Jae-jung, Chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly, and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Through this event, 11 associations across industries such as gaming and film officially converted their voluntary body formed in May 2025 into a formal consultative organization. According to the presented "K-Content 220 Trillion 2030 Vision Report," the final goals for the industry by 2030 were set at 220 trillion won in revenue, 27 billion dollars in exports, 750,000 workers, and 146,000 companies.
This scale requires an annual growth rate of 6.4 percent based on the estimated revenue of 161.5 trillion won in 2025. In particular, the export sector demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding into overseas markets by targeting an average annual growth rate of 12.6 percent, double the revenue growth rate. This figure accounts for a massive 55 percent of the government national task, "K-Culture 400 Trillion." The council stated, "Content is the core driving force of K-culture, and growth in K-culture cannot occur without growth in the content industry." In addition, performance will be reviewed annually based on nationally approved statistics from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) to publish a "K-Content 220 Trillion Implementation Progress Report."
A realistic analysis was also raised indicating that it would be difficult to reach these massive numerical targets under current policy directions. If the current budget level is maintained, expected revenue in 2030 will reach only 205.9 trillion won, falling short by 13.3 trillion won, and even if the budget is increased by 10 percent each year, it will remain at 215.3 trillion won, leaving a shortfall of 3.9 trillion won. Similarly, export targets will fall 7.8 billion dollars short of the goal even under the assumption of a 10 percent annual budget increase.
Kim Seung-wook, Executive Director of Policy at the Korean Publishers Association, who spoke as a presenter, emphasized, "Failing to reach the goal even with a 10% annual increase means that financial input alone cannot achieve this objective. Bridging the gap requires designing a policy mix combining finance, tax policy, funding, and legislation." He added, "The solution lies not in expanding current projects, but in shifting the framework. While the industry proposed the target, the conditions for achieving it must be created jointly by the government and the National Assembly. Once these conditions are in place, 220 trillion won becomes an achievable target." To this end, the council proposed a comprehensive transformation across tax policy, funding, and legal systems, alongside six major common tasks.
Lee Jae-jung, Chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly who hosted the event, said, "This is a meaningful occasion where 11 associations and organizations across the content industry, which have grown in different fields, have gathered in one place for the first time to discuss the future of the entire content industry." She added, "What matters is not the numbers themselves, but the foundation of the industry that will actually generate that growth." She stated, "Systems built around CRT screens and arcade games cannot operate in the same manner during the era of AI, OTT, and global platforms. We must carefully examine whether there are systems that have lost effectiveness or needlessly hinder new attempts in this changed environment." She also promised, "I will closely examine the vision and policy tasks presented today and fulfill the National Assembly's role to ensure that necessary legislation, budgeting, and institutional improvements follow."
Kim Young-soo, First Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, also requested that the council become "a communication channel gathering diverse voices, a bridge leading cross-genre collaboration, and a reliable partner connecting the government and the industry," adding, "In an era where a single IP expands endlessly, new opportunities can be created when boundaries between genres are broken down, organically linked, and boldly combined." Vice Minister Kim emphasized, "We believe that our target of 'K-Culture 400 Trillion' is by no means easy, but completely achievable. Reflecting this determination, next year's government budget proposal for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was allocated at a size increased by 22.6% compared to this year." He added, "We will actively support global expansion and adaptation to new technologies by creating an industrial environment where creators can freely take on challenges and companies can operate with freedom."
In the latter part of the event, co-representatives Kim Tae-heon, Cho Young-gi, and Woo Seung-hyun directly read the vision declaration statement. In the declaration, they pointed out, "Contrary to its external stature, the industry's growth has remained in the 2 percent range for three consecutive years," and emphasized the urgency of policy redesign, stating, "The distance between targets and reality cannot be narrowed solely by injecting more funds or through industry efforts alone. The issue is not how much to inject, but how to design it."
They also added, "In the era of artificial intelligence, the content industry is both the rights holder of training data and the user of new production tools. Protecting creators' rights and utilizing technology are not conflicting demands, but two sides of the same industry." Meanwhile, prior to this proclamation ceremony, the council completed the formation of its network-based consultative body by electing Kim Tae-heon, President of the Korean Publishers Association, Cho Young-gi, Chairman of the Korea Association of Game Industry, and Woo Seung-hyun, President of the Korea Popular Music Industry Association, as inaugural co-representatives at its inaugural general meeting. In the following policy roundtable, practical agenda items were discussed, including cooperation with the National Assembly, the 2027 budget, measures to protect creators during the AI transition period, and the expansion of tax support.
