Korea is accelerating its creative-tech ambitions with a bold new move linking artificial intelligence and cultural exports. By placing The Pinkfong Company—best known for its global Baby Shark phenomenon—at the center of a ₩10 billion national AI–content project, the government is signaling a deeper policy shift: transforming K-content into a frontier industry that merges technology, storytelling, and global market strategy.

Pinkfong to Lead Korea’s ₩10B AI–Content Innovation Project

South Korea has selected The Pinkfong Company — the global entertainment studio behind Baby Shark — to lead its 2025 K-Content AI Innovation Project, a KRW 10 billion (~USD 7.3 million) national initiative combining artificial intelligence and cultural content.

The program, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and managed by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), represents one of the largest single projects in KOCCA’s history. It aims to build a next-generation content industry ecosystem that merges creative storytelling with emerging AI technologies.

Korea Positions Pinkfong and K-Content as a Core Engine of AI Innovation

The initiative is part of Korea’s broader policy effort to strengthen global competitiveness in cultural technology (CT) — a field that connects entertainment IPs with digital innovation. By pairing AI, immersive media, and storytelling, the government seeks to position Korean content exports as future growth engines comparable to the semiconductor or game industries.

This project also marks the first time a family-entertainment IP powerhouse like The Pinkfong Company has been placed at the center of a large-scale national AI–content R&D agenda.

Over the past decade, Pinkfong has operated in 244 countries and 25 languages, expanding its flagship IPs (Pinkfong, Baby Shark, Bebefinn) into films, series, music, live performances, and merchandise. Not only that but the company has also successfully strengthen the influence and penetration of Korean IP, especially with the latest entrance into the Japanese terrestrial TV.

Its extensive global IP management experience and AI-based production infrastructure were decisive factors in KOCCA’s selection process.

Building the World’s First AI-Powered Immersive Exhibition

The Pinkfong Company will develop Korea’s first global AI immersive exhibition, an interactive showcase where content responds in real time to audience movements, facial expressions, and voice input.

The exhibition will integrate cutting-edge AI tools such as Large Language Models (LLMs), Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech (STT/TTS) systems, and Computer Vision (CV) to enable emotion-based interaction between visitors and digital characters.

By merging generative AI with storytelling, the company aims to pioneer a new entertainment format that blurs the line between performance, technology, and user experience.

Later, the first exhibition of this first global AI immersive project is expected to open in 2026.

Cross-Industry Partnership Anchored in Creative Technology

Additionally, the initiative will operate through an AI–content convergence consortium that includes:

• Peopulley – immersive media exhibition production
• SelectStar – AI development and 3D visualization
• Pozalabs – AI music generation
• Davvero Art – AI-based media art design

Together, the consortium will build a sustainable, export-ready ecosystem that fuses technology, creativity, and commercialization — aligning with Korea’s long-term strategy for global content leadership.

Pinkfong CEO: “AI and Emotion Will Define the Next Wave of K-Content”

Kim Min-seok, CEO of The Pinkfong Company, said:

“This project opens new possibilities for experiential exhibitions that combine AI technology with K-content. It will serve as an important case showing how Korea’s creative industry can evolve through AI, emotion, and storytelling.”

KOCCA officials emphasized that the project would help expand AI utilization across content sectors, providing a model for integrating data-driven creative production with national IP strategies.

Public–Private Convergence Driving Korea’s Creative Tech Competitiveness

The initiative reflects Korea’s strategic effort to align content policy with frontier technologies, similar to how other economies are merging creative industries with AI R&D.

By positioning a globally recognized IP brand at the center, Korea is experimenting with cross-industry collaboration that could reshape how startups and studios access government-backed innovation programs.

For AI startups, immersive media producers, and venture investors, the project offers new entry points into public-private partnerships focused on creative AI commercialization.

It also signals that Korea’s cultural technology sector is evolving from traditional animation and gaming toward AI-native content experiences, an area drawing rising global investor interest.

A Blueprint for the Future of AI-Driven Cultural Exports

If successful, the 2025 K-Content AI Innovation Project could become a blueprint for AI-enabled cultural exports, positioning Korea as a testbed for immersive, data-driven storytelling.

With The Pinkfong Company also reportedly exploring M&A partnerships and preparing for a KOSDAQ IPO, the project highlights how the intersection of IP, AI, and government-driven innovation is shaping the next phase of Korea’s creative-tech economy — and setting new standards for global K-content scalability.

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