The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) are holding a pan-ministerial expo “2025 K-Expo UAE: All about K-style”, dubbed “K-Expo”, in Dubai, from November 15th to 18th. The event is aimed at supporting overseas market entry for high-quality K-content and for related industries such as consumer goods and services.
K-Expo brings together a wide range of Korean Wave industries. The event showcases music, drama, games, and webtoons, as well as food, cosmetics, tourism, and more, all in one place. Following Canada in August and Spain in September, this expo will be held in Dubai, a key cultural exchange hub in the Middle East, with the aim of further strengthening the special strategic partnership between Korea and the UAE.
6 ministries, 12 public institutions, and 226 companies to take part
Hosted by the MCST and organized by KOCCA, this year’s event will be the largest K-content and industry expo in the Middle East, with participation from 6 government ministries, 12 related public institutions, and 226 Korean companies. Participating ministries include the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
Public institutions and organizations cooperating include the Korea Tourism Organization, National Museum Foundation of Korea, Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute, Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, Korea SMEs and Startups Distribution Center, Korea International Trade Association, and Korea Institute of Design Promotion.
Partnership with “Global Village,” Dubai’s largest theme park
K-Expo’s venue, “Global Village,” is a signature cultural and tourism attractions. Through this exhibition planned for the 15th and 16th of November 2025, K-content is expected to become more embedded in the daily lives of UAE residents. with performances featuring EXO’s Chen, Punch, and Billlie.
The Second Venue will be on the 17th and 18th of November 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Hall 8 and will host consultation meetings will connect Korean companies in animation, gaming, broadcasting, character licensing, K-beauty, and K-food with local buyers and partners across the MENA region.
K-Expo as a Korean Wave convergence platform
K-Expo is designed as a new export strategy that drives joint overseas expansion and revitalization of related industries around content. With “convergence” as its core theme, this year’s K-Expo will present three global market-ready industry models that fuse content with consumer goods.
The event connects games and lifestyle, recreating scenes from the game “inZOI.”
It also demonstrates how the character IP evolves into an immersive DJ performance in collaboration with LG Electronics’ “LG XBOOM.” and presents the harmony of content and cuisine through a live cooking program by actor and TV personality Soo-young Ryu.
Expanding beyond Dubai and the Arab world
Hyun-seok Yoo, Acting President of KOCCA, said, “K-Expo is significant in that it builds a new platform for cooperation between Korea and the United Arab Emirates based on the special strategic partnership between the two countries, connecting culture and industry.” He continued, “By presenting a new model of the Korean Wave that blends content, cosmetics, food, and tourism into a single narrative, we aim to move beyond fandom and build industrial trust in the region. We plan to establish this event as a recurring platform and further strengthen the foundation for cultural and industrial cooperation between the two countries.”
