South Korea’s government has introduced a ₩3.3 billion ($2.2 million) grant initiative, the “Global Leap Forward Support” project, aimed at helping small and mid-sized K-pop agencies reach international audiences.
The program is administered by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). Ten independent agencies have been chosen for the first cohort, each eligible for up to ₩300 million ($197,000) per year over three years, contingent on the effective use of funds. The funds will finance global marketing, video production, and touring activities. The government plans to select 10 new agencies annually.
The current roster of supported K-pop groups includes:
- Rescene
- Xikers
- TUNEXX
- can’t be blue
- Kiiras
- 82Major
- Big Ocean
- Uspeer
- X:in
- 8Turn
Choi Sung-hee, Director General of the Ministry’s Content Media Industry Bureau, stated:
“For K-pop to achieve sustainable growth, the smaller agencies that form the backbone of our industry must be able to thrive. We hope this initiative sparks another ‘small-agency miracle’ to lead K-pop’s future.”
