South Korea’s content industry achieved record-breaking exports in 2024, reaching US$14.08 billion, according to a report by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This represents a 5.5 percent increase compared to 2023 and marks the highest export figure since the ministry began tracking the data, continuing a two-year streak of record-breaking performance.
Imports for the same period totaled $915.56 million, resulting in a significant trade surplus of $13.159 billion for the South Korean content sector.
The content industry encompasses a wide range of sectors, including publishers, broadcasters, advertisers, and companies producing music, games, animation, movies, musicals, and other forms of creative content.
The game industry continues to be the leading export sector, accounting for 60.4 percent of total content exports with $8.5 billion. The music industry followed with $1.8 billion in exports, while the broadcasting and video sector generated $1.26 billion.
Overall revenue for the content industry also saw a positive increase, rising 2.1 percent to 157.4 trillion won (US$107.2 billion) year-over-year, driven by strong export performance. Broadcasting and video held the largest revenue share at 24.99 trillion won, followed by knowledge and information services with 24.69 trillion won, publishing with 24.22 trillion won, and gaming with 23.85 trillion won.
“Despite challenging global economic conditions, the continued growth in sales and exports demonstrates the strength and competitiveness of K-content,” stated Lim Sung-hwan, who oversees cultural industry policy at the ministry. “We are committed to supporting the industry to ensure it remains a key driver of growth for the Korean economy and expands its reach globally.”
