What KOFICE does

KOFICE (Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange / 한국국제문화교류진흥원) is a government-affiliated non-profit foundation operating under South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (문화체육관광부), established in 2002 as the Asia Cultural Exchange Foundation (아시아문화교류재단) and reorganized under its current name in 2018. The foundation functions as South Korea's designated executing body for international cultural exchange and Hallyu (Korean Wave) promotion, serving diverse beneficiary groups including Korean K-culture companies across content, beauty, food, fashion, and lifestyle sectors seeking international market access; Korean performing and visual artists requiring overseas deployment support; foreign tourists and global Hallyu fans; overseas cultural institutions; and Korean government ministries (Agriculture, Oceans and Fisheries, Health and Welfare) coordinating inter-ministerial cultural initiatives.

KOFICE operates a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a unified product. Flagship initiatives include the annual MyK FESTA comprehensive K-culture festival, Korea Season for country-specific cultural exchange, Touring K-Arts international tours across 42 overseas Korean Cultural Centers, K-arts on the GO (overseas artist support grants up to 40M KRW per artist), NEXT professional talent development, Global K-Zone overseas K-culture complex spaces, Youth K-Culture Global Frontier, KDAY K-brand fusion events, and the 2026 World Gyeongju Forum. Supporting infrastructure spans digital platforms including kofice.or.kr, mykfesta.com, koreaseason.co.kr, archivecenter.net, k-go.or.kr, consulting.kofice.or.kr, korearoundculture.com, and pic-hub.org, which collectively manage applications, event coordination, bilateral collaboration, and the Hallyu Research Archive of monthly correspondent reports from 40+ countries. The foundation does not develop proprietary technology products but maintains a directory of 868 registered overseas platforms (537 performing arts venues, 331 visual arts institutions) as a programmatic distribution layer.

The foundation is funded primarily through the Korean government budget and does not sell commercial products or services; its programs are provided free or subsidized to participants as public cultural promotion initiatives. The 2026 MyK FESTA (June 25-28) generated 56,000+ attendees including 18,000 foreign tourists, 393.5 billion KRW in on-site transaction volume (with 3,891.7 billion KRW in potential follow-up deals), 1,900+ B2B export consultations between 201 domestic companies and 151 overseas buyers from 27 countries, and 17 MOUs/contracts signed. Recent strategic initiatives include the Korea Tourism Modernization Alliance (April 2026 MoU with Seoul Land and AMF Holdings), e-commerce platform partnerships with Alibaba.com, Amazon, and Qoo10.jp for Korean K-culture export channels, and entry of named Korean enterprises such as Nongshim, Musinsa (무신사), Donga Pharmaceutical (동아제약), Issac Toast (이삭토스트), and Jeju Samdasoo (제주 삼다수) into MyK FESTA exhibition zones.

Name

KOFICE

Legal name

한국국제문화교류진흥원

Website

https://kofice.or.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

KOFICE (Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange) is a government-affiliated non-profit foundation under South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, executing international cultural exchange and Hallyu promotion through flagship events, artist support programs, and a global network of 42 overseas Korean Cultural Centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Exchange Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), International Affairs (9721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ)

Keywords

• International cultural exchange
• Hallyu promotion programs
• K-culture festivals
• Artist overseas support
• Cultural consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mapo

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget and Subsidies: KOFICE operates as a government-affiliated foundation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea. Its primary funding source is the Korean government budget allocated for international cultural exchange, Hallyu promotion, and Korean cultural content internationalization. The foundation receives public funds to plan and execute cultural exchange programs, support Korean artists' overseas performances and exhibitions, organize events like MyK FESTA, maintain overseas cultural networks, and conduct Hallyu research.
2. Program Management and Consulting Services: KOFICE provides international cultural exchange consulting services to domestic cultural organizations and artists, and manages the K-arts on the GO program which supports airfare and shipping costs for Korean performing and visual artists invited by overseas festivals, galleries, and theaters. While these are government-supported programs rather than revenue-generating services, they represent KOFICE's operational scope and value delivery to the Korean cultural sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

KOFICE is a government-affiliated foundation that organizes and manages international cultural exchange programs on behalf of the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It delivers its mandate through flagship events (MyK FESTA, Korea Season, KDAY), financial support programs for Korean artists deploying overseas (K-arts on the GO, Touring K-Arts), bilateral cultural collaboration support, professional talent development (NEXT, Youth K-Culture Global Frontier), and Hallyu research and intelligence services via an overseas correspondent network of 40+ countries and 868 registered overseas venues.

Product overview

KOFICE (Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange) operates as a cultural exchange organization managing a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a unified digital product. The organization coordinates national-level cultural exchange initiatives through programs including Korea Season for international cultural events, Global K-Zone for overseas K-culture complexes, and KDAY for K-lifestyle brand exhibitions. Supporting infrastructure includes K-arts on the GO for artist overseas support, Touring K-Arts for program tours, and International Cultural Exchange Consulting for information services. Research and intelligence capabilities are provided through the Hallyu Research Archive and Overseas Correspondent network. The comprehensive MyK FESTA festival serves as the flagship consumer-facing event showcasing K-pop, K-content, beauty, food, and fashion. Professional development is delivered through NEXT and Youth K-Culture Global Frontier, while bilateral collaboration and future innovation programs support broader exchange objectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Korea Season (코리아시즌)
• Global K-Zone (글로벌 K-존)
• International Cultural Exchange Consulting (국제문화교류 컨설팅)
• Touring K-Arts (투어링 케이-아츠)
• K-arts on the GO (케이-아츠온더고)
• Bilateral International Cultural Collaboration Support (쌍방향 국제문화협업 지원)
• NEXT - International Cultural Exchange Professional Talent Development (국제문화교류 전문인력 양성)
• MyK FESTA (마이케이페스타)
• Hallyu Research Archive (한류 조사연구)
• Youth K-Culture Global Frontier (청년 K-컬처 글로벌 프런티어)
• 2026 World Gyeongju Forum (2026 세계경주포럼)
• KDAY (케이데이)
• Future Innovation Cultural Exchange Support (미래혁신 문화교류 지원)
• Overseas Correspondent Reports (해외 통신원)

Quantifiable outcome

• 56,000+ attendees at 2026 MyK FESTA, including 18,000 foreign tourists, up from 46,000 in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Seoul LandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026KOFICE signed an MoU with Seoul Land to form a public-private partnership for modernizing Korea's international tourism strategy by leveraging Hallyu (Korean Wave) content. Seoul Land contributes its tourism infrastructure to the alliance, pooling its venue access and visitor traffic with KOFICE's global diplomatic network and AMF Holdings' expertise in fashion and model-driven content. The partnership aims to create immersive cultural events targeting foreign visitors, multicultural families, and younger demographics, building sustainable cultural business platforms rather than one-off events.
• AMF HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026KOFICE signed an MoU with AMF Holdings to form a public-private partnership for modernizing Korea's international tourism strategy. AMF Holdings contributes its expertise in fashion and model-driven content creation to the alliance, combining with KOFICE's global diplomatic network and Seoul Land's tourism infrastructure to create immersive cultural events for foreign visitors, multicultural families, and younger demographics. Tangible projects are expected in the coming months.
• Alibaba.comflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlibaba.com participated in the MyK Trade B2B export consultation sessions at the 2026 MyK FESTA as an international online platform partner. Alibaba.com operated an on-site consultation booth alongside KOFICE to help Korean K-culture companies explore entry into overseas online distribution channels. This partnership directly supported KOFICE's mission of helping Korean cultural companies expand into global markets by leveraging Alibaba.com's e-commerce infrastructure.
• Qoo10.jpflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerQoo10.jp participated in the MyK Trade B2B export consultation sessions at the 2026 MyK FESTA as an international online platform partner. Qoo10.jp operated an on-site consultation booth to help Korean K-culture companies access overseas online retail channels. The partnership complements Alibaba.com's participation, providing Korean companies with access to multiple international e-commerce platforms for market entry support.
• AmazonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon participated in the MyK Trade B2B export consultation program at the 2026 MyK FESTA as one of the major global online platforms operating consultation booths. Amazon provided market entry advisory and platform onboarding support to Korean K-culture companies seeking to list their products on international e-commerce channels, directly supporting KOFICE's export expansion mandate for Korean cultural and lifestyle brands.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA): Korean government agency under the Ministry of Culture that promotes K-content (film, games, animation, publishing) internationally. Broad peer in the same Korean government cultural-promotion ecosystem, with overlapping K-culture export mandate but narrower content focus than KOFICE.
• Korea Tourism Organization (KTO): Korean government tourism promotion agency under the Ministry of Culture. Complementary peer: KTO focuses on inbound tourism, KOFICE on cultural content promotion — both rely on the Hallyu phenomenon and collaborate through events like MyK FESTA and the Korea Tourism Modernization Alliance.

Direct peers

• Goethe-Institut: Germany's worldwide cultural institute operating under the Federal Foreign Office. Manages 150+ cultural centers globally, promotes German language/culture/art abroad, and runs exchange programs — directly comparable to KOFICE's 42-center overseas network and artist deployment mandate.
• Instituto Cervantes: Spain's official public institution for promoting Spanish language and culture worldwide. Comparable to KOFICE in running a global network of cultural centers with government mandate and subsidized programs for artists and cultural practitioners.
• Confucius Institute: China's government-backed international network promoting Chinese language and culture globally through partner universities and cultural centers. Comparable to KOFICE in operating a state-sponsored overseas cultural network, though focused on language/culture rather than creative industry export.
• Alliance Française: France's international French language and cultural promotion network with 800+ centers worldwide. Comparable to KOFICE in operating a decentralized overseas center model for national cultural promotion, though with a longer-standing global footprint.
• Japan Foundation: Japan's government-affiliated international cultural exchange organization operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Closest structural peer to KOFICE: manages overseas cultural centers, runs artist exchange programs, and promotes national cultural content abroad.
• British Council: The UK government's international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. Operates a global network of cultural centers and runs artist/arts exchange programs — functionally analogous to KOFICE's overseas Korean Cultural Centers and K-arts on the GO.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/koficeculture
• Facebookfacebook.com/kofice3
• Instagraminstagram.com/kofice_official
• Xx.com/kofice

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KOFICE