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Funding and advertised pay are reported in USD; filed accounts retain their stated source currency and basis.

Exchange-rate basis

Indicative conversions use ECB reference rates dated 2026-09-14, applied consistently across all periods. They are not historical exchange rates. Indian rupees may use crore (1 crore = 10 million); other currencies use K, M and B. CSV downloads, source documents and quoted news headlines retain their original currencies.

THE SOUTH KOREA EDITION 2026

South Korea’s
media & entertainment industry,
in focus.

The companies, capital and talent shaping media & entertainment in South Korea. Find the leaders. Understand the segments. See where the activity is.

Explore in Radar Read the key signals
Snapshot: Funding in USD
Illustrated cover for Media & Entertainment Industry Landscape of South Korea
KR
COMPANIES · CAPITAL · TALENT

An industry ecosystem,
measured in context.

Media & Entertainment illustration
Companies tracked 1,240Media & Entertainment ecosystem in South Korea Disclosed funding $1.87B83 companies · all recorded rounds Companies hiring 22With open roles at the snapshot Tracked open roles 251 employers posted in the preceding 30 days
MEET THE COMPANIES

Explore South Korea’s media & entertainment leaders

24 featured companies from the funding, hiring, revenue and team-size leaderboards.

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Explore the full landscape
Media & Entertainment company highlights in South Korea, snapshot 31 August 2026
Company
Tvingtving.com$312.33M———
ZEPETOweb.zepeto.me$154.6M———
Kakao Gameskakaogamescorp.com$130M—436Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
RIDIridicorp.com$108.27M———
Pixel Vaultpixelvault.com$105.09M—41—
HYBE IMhybeim.com$100.47M———
SNOWsnowcorp.com$95M—294—
Munpiamunpia.com$92.8M—6—
Dabledable.io—2 roles119—
MIRAGESOFTmiragesoft.co.kr—2 roles——
NRISEnrise.net—2 roles80—
MUSICOWmusicow.com—1 roles92—
PallyConpallycon.com—1 roles——
Redionreadyonnews.com—1 roles——
Tapas Entertainmenttapasentertainment.com—1 roles——
cj 4dplexcj4dx.com—1 roles——
Daum Communicationsdaum.net——1,001—
Digital Chosun Cochosun.com——154—
Instizinstiz.net————
Inveninven.co.kr————
Wavvewavve.com——112—
cj cgvcgv.co.kr——4,501—
grand korea leisuregrandkorea.com——1,663—
iMBCimbc.com——105—
24 featured companies

Locked revenue figures are available in Radar; the eight company financial previews stay the same throughout this page. A dash means the figure is outside these featured lists. Revenue years vary by company; the figures are not a like-for-like revenue comparison. Compare annual accounts ↗

Company discovery

Recorded evidence only

Explore the live startup set in Radar

No company example met every recorded classification, independence and public-profile gate in this snapshot. The live directory may have newer qualifying companies.

Explore classified startups in Radar ↗
THE KEY SIGNALS

Media & Entertainment industry KPIs in South Korea

A few useful ratios bring the size of this ecosystem into perspective.

31 August 2026
Hiring participation1.8%

22 of 1,240 tracked companies have open roles.

Funding participation10.0%

124 of 1,240 tracked companies have a recorded round.

Top 3 funding share31.9%

Share of disclosed capital received by the three largest recorded recipients.

Median disclosed round$5.62M

Midpoint of 93 rounds with a disclosed amount.

Scale is concentrated. Opportunity is broader. The three largest funding recipients hold 31.9% of disclosed capital, while 90.0% of tracked companies have no recorded funding round.

Explore the segments →
CAPITAL & COMPANY FORMATION

How South Korea media & entertainment has grown

Recorded company formation and disclosed funding across the complete annual series shown.

Expand panel +
2016 — 2025

Disclosed funding by year

Sum of recorded funding rounds · USD

South Korea media & entertainment
$0$165.27M$330.55M$495.82M$661.1M2016: $77.32M20162017: $65.21M20172018: $233.45M20182019: $61M20192020: $25.26M20202021: $379M20212022: $579.91M20222023: $94.96M20232024: $112.8M20242025: $55.47M2025
View the numbers
Annual media & entertainment funding and company formation in South Korea
YearFunding (USD)FoundedRaising
2016$77.32M595
2017$65.21M496
2018$233.45M827
2019$61M847
2020$25.26M1146
2021$379M7616
2022$579.91M5719
2023$94.96M3710
2024$112.8M249
2025$55.47M54
WHERE CAPITAL SITS

Funding concentration

Share of all disclosed company funding.

  • Tving16.7%
  • ZEPETO8.3%
  • Kakao Games7.0%
  • Other companies68.1%

Funding by stage

150 recorded rounds since 2016

NUMBER OF ROUNDS
Seed & Angel65 43.3%
Series A–B53 35.3%
Series C+ / PE19 12.7%
Grants, debt & other13 8.7%

Recent recorded rounds

Latest recorded rounds · USD
5 rounds

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Seed05/2026
Markoville —

Backed by Laguna Investment and Kona Venture Partners.

Seed03/2026
Company A —

Backed by Tech Incubator Program for Startup.

Seed02/2026
KDOL —

Backed by CNT Tech.

Largest and notable recorded rounds

Each card is one recorded round
10 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Series C01/2022
RIDIridicorp.com$100.27M

Backed by GIC and Korean Development Bank and others.

THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE ACTIVITY

Revenue, profitability & financial strength

Expand panel +

Annual accounts availability

No reviewed exact national-ID connector maps South Korea company identities to the configured global filings table.; No reviewed exact national-ID connector maps South Korea company identities to the configured global filings table.

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

Web traffic, app reach and release cadence

How the South Korea companies on this page show up online: the sites people visit, the apps they install, and how often those apps ship.

Busiest websites

73 of the 1,241 companies on this page carry a measured traffic record (5.9%); these are the largest of those, by monthly visits. The median among them is 245,618 visits.

CompanyMonthly visitsAuthorityMobile
dcinsidedcinside.com293,331,5867680.7%
Tistorytistory.com63,504,0576648.4%
Inveninven.co.kr44,145,1816968.4%
Vikiviki.com22,891,7307253.1%
Toomicstoomics.com17,403,7635395.8%
Novelpianovelpia.com14,924,3334088.3%
Mantamanta.net11,739,2615096.8%
Ridibooksridibooks.com10,707,6466481%
Yonhapyna.co.kr9,938,9386748.3%
Weverseweverse.io9,637,7766152%

Visits and authority are third-party web estimates, not company-reported figures.

Most-installed apps

269 of these companies (21.7%) publish at least one Android app — 712 apps in all, carrying 1.8B installs between them.

AppInstallsRatingStore category
RetricaRetrica372.5M3.7Photography
Viki: Asian Dramas & MoviesViki110.9M4.7Entertainment
My Home Design - Modern CityNSTAGE89.3M4.6Puzzle
Photo EditorPhoto Editor84.9M4.4Photography
멜론(Melon)Melon70.7M3.5Music & Audio
Animal Hunter: Wild ShootingFun Fun OYUN TEKNOLOJI ANONIM SIRKETI55.5M4.8Action
Tuner & MetronomeSoundcorset49M4.5Music & Audio
KakaoMap - Map / NavigationTistory47.2M3.9Maps & Navigation
Weverse: Connect with ArtistsWeverse44.9M4.6Social
Home Design : Caribbean LifeNSTAGE30.3M4.6Simulation

Installs are lifetime totals to date at the June 2026 store reading — a measure of reach, not of people using an app today.

App reach by segment

The busiest app inside each of this page’s own segments, with the quarterly release trend behind it (2024Q1–2026Q2).

SegmentAppsInstallsLeading appRelease trend
Services For Gaming123506.4MMy Home Design - Modern City 89.3M
Online Photos32490.7MRetrica 372.5M
Communication Apps3397.1MSpoon: Live & PodNovel 24.3M
Ott Video39267.1MViki: Asian Dramas & Movies 110.9M
Music Tech62245.7M멜론(Melon) 70.7M
Digital Publishing Platforms21781.4MKakaoMap - Map \/ Navigation 47.2M
Book Tech7273.5MManta - Manga, Manhwa, Novels 8.7M
Social Platforms4869.9MYaja Live Video Chat 7.3M

A company can carry several segment tags, so these rows overlap and should not be added together. Trend lines are zero-based and share one quarter grid, so a flat line is a quiet segment, not a missing one.

Release cadence by quarter

New apps published, beside apps whose most recent update landed in that quarter — the second bar is how much of the shelf is still being maintained.

2023Q2: 102023Q2: 52023Q22023Q3: 102023Q3: 82023Q32023Q4: 172023Q4: 142023Q42024Q1: 92024Q1: 82024Q12024Q2: 122024Q2: 132024Q22024Q3: 112024Q3: 262024Q32024Q4: 52024Q4: 152024Q42025Q1: 72025Q1: 172025Q12025Q2: 82025Q2: 162025Q22025Q3: 112025Q3: 572025Q32025Q4: 192025Q4: 1262025Q42026Q1: 202026Q1: 872026Q1

Darker bars are new releases, lighter bars apps updated. 588 of 712 apps carry a release date. The series ends at 2026Q1, the last quarter that closed before the June 2026 reading.

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY

The South Korea media & entertainment market map

Explore the segments behind the headline numbers.

Expand panel +

Where companies are building

Rank segments by scale, hiring or disclosed funding.

Consumer digital621
Enterprise tech146
B2c e-commerce78
Internet first news publishers70
Loneliness economy57
Enterprise software49
Book reading apps39
Spatial computing35
Blockchain35
Blockchain in media and entertainment35
Marketplaces29
Real money gaming27

Companies can sit in several segments. Counts and funding overlap.

SEGMENT TO EXPLORE

Consumer digital

The largest measured segment in this report snapshot.

621companies
1.8%have hiring activity

11 companies hiring · $1.35B disclosed funding

Explore in Radar

How companies make money

Common revenue models; a company can use more than one.

Advertising642
Subscription630
Commission on transaction349
E-commerce - service264
Sponsorship228
E-commerce - product167
Fee-for-service139
Affiliate marketing80
THE COMPANIES IN MOTION

Who is listing, hiring leaders, launching and winning work

Recorded corporate activity linked to companies in this landscape.

Expand panel +
Recent corporate headlines 10 dated reports
Funding roundskakaogamescorp.com ↗

LY Corporation has become the largest shareholder in Odin: Valhalla Rising developer Kakao Games following a strategic investment of approximately ₩300 billion ($198 million).

Mergers & acquisitionssnowcorp.com ↗

By absorbing Snow, Flexera eliminated its primary independent competitor in ITAM.

IPO activitythepinkfongcompany.com ↗

— Shares of South Korean entertainment firm The Pinkfong Company 403850.KQ, producer of the popular children’s song “Baby Shark,” surged more than 60% in their market debut on Tuesday.

Mergers & acquisitionsimbc.com ↗

The breakfast food company made its second frozen pizza transaction this year with the Alpha Foods purchase.

Funding roundsbookers.life ↗

Bookers, a B2B reading platform, secured USD 746,470 (KRW 1 billion) in Pre-Series A investment from Kiros Venture Partners and Korea Value Investment, aiming for global expansion and edutech leadership.

Funding roundsinven.co.kr ↗

Inven, a Helsinki, Finland-based provider of an AI-native deal sourcing platform, has raised €11.2 million in Series A funding.

Mergers & acquisitionslabel.foundation ↗

Abidjan-based KeysFinance Partners has made a significant move in the technology sector by acquiring a 100% stake in Label, a company specializing in the integration of Sage solutions within Côte d’Ivoire.

Funding roundskakaoent.com ↗

the biggest being Kakao Entertainment’s nearly $1 billion private equity raise, followed by a $100 million share subscription facility for Events.com.

Mergers & acquisitionsiconix.co.kr ↗

Other mergers in the apparel sector in 2024 included New Era taking over the ’47 Brand, Imperial Headwear acquiring Pukka, and Iconix’s purchase of Salt Life from bankruptcy proceedings.

Funding roundsinblog.ai ↗

Inblog, a Seoul, South Korea-based SaaS company specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) for businesses, has secured a seed funding round.

Full recorded event mix

Top 10 categories among 59 recorded events in the 24-month window.

Earnings
17
Funding rounds
11
Mergers & acquisitions
9
Company announcements
5
Leadership moves
4
Contracts
4
IPO activity
3
Lawsuit
2
Asset acquisitions
2
Capital infusions
1
5 activity cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Contract wins

3 recorded customer wins

Customer: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

SNOW ↗

Customer: tv globo

ICONIX ↗

Customer: astrazenecaPharmaceuticals

Regulatory events

1 recorded events

YTN ↗

audit plannedBoard of Audit and Inspection

Litigation

3 tracked suits

Company
Prosecutors v Kim Beom-su, kakao corp, kakao entertainment

stock manipulationCriminal · Ongoing

Company
Enlight Ventures v watcha

court-supervised restructuring and debt adjustmentRegulatory · Ongoing

Earnings pulse

Reported company results in the recorded window.

8companies
14period observations
6.7%median reported growth

Median across 13 reported growth observations; companies may contribute multiple periods.

Mergers and acquisitions

Company-linked deal reports; status is preserved as recorded.

Acquirer → targetStatusDateValue / context
LY Corp.→Kakao Games ↗Announced2026-03-25Not stated in snapshot
flexera→SNOW ↗Completed2026-01-18Not stated in snapshot
Kakao Games→financial investorCompleted2025-10-06Not stated in snapshot
iMBC→alpha foodsAnnounced2025-09-12Not stated in snapshot
rakuten→Viki ↗Announced2025-08-10$200.0M
Tving→Wavve ↗Announced2025-08-10Not stated in snapshot

A discussion or rumour is not a completed transaction. An unstated value is not zero.

PEOPLE & OPPORTUNITY

The talent market

Recorded hiring and workforce signals from the available source snapshot.

Expand panel +

Most advertised job titles

No repeated job title is supported by this snapshot.

0 internship postings

0 tracked postings mention remote work.

THE PEOPLE BUILDING THE FIELD

Founders and leaders

398 founders and chief executives across 324 companies.

Expand panel +
12 profiles

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Education networks

16 profiles with education records.

Stanford University
6
Stanford Business School
3
Seoul National University
3
Columbia University
2
Alliance Manchester Business School
1
Yonsei University
1
Wharton School
1
University of California (Berkeley)
1

Prior employers

3 profiles with prior-work records.

Facebook
1
Google
1
Microsoft
1

Profiles cover recorded founders and leaders; contact details remain in Radar.

NEWS INTELLIGENCE

How this industry appears in the news

161,556 articles in the measured 12-month window.

Expand panel +
161,556articles in the measured year
29,031articles in 2026Q1
34.1%positive tone in the latest complete year

News volume trends

Media & Entertainment coverage across South Korea · articles per complete quarter

022,58145,16167,74290,3222021Q2: 17,4772021Q22021Q3: 19,4372021Q4: 18,0892022Q1: 21,3732022Q2: 20,5322022Q22022Q3: 21,7732022Q4: 31,6112023Q1: 29,0012023Q2: 27,6522023Q22023Q3: 31,7002023Q4: 25,1632024Q1: 30,1692024Q2: 32,6902024Q22024Q3: 33,0092024Q4: 40,4822025Q1: 46,3272025Q2: 30,8792025Q22025Q3: 78,5412025Q4: 25,4502026Q1: 29,0312026Q1
View quarterly article counts
QuarterArticles
2021Q217,477
2021Q319,437
2021Q418,089
2022Q121,373
2022Q220,532
2022Q321,773
2022Q431,611
2023Q129,001
2023Q227,652
2023Q331,700
2023Q425,163
2024Q130,169
2024Q232,690
2024Q333,009
2024Q440,482
2025Q146,327
2025Q230,879
2025Q378,541
2025Q425,450
2026Q129,031

Article volume measures coverage, not market sales.

Tone of coverage over time

2021
27,932 positive · 17,829 neutral · 13,946 negative
2022
43,627 positive · 27,736 neutral · 23,817 negative
2023
53,749 positive · 34,693 neutral · 24,983 negative
2024
53,576 positive · 54,678 neutral · 27,990 negative
2025
61,780 positive · 85,891 neutral · 33,424 negative

Leading coverage topics

Media & Entertainment coverage across South Korea · ranked by full-period article count.

International And Transnational Geographic Entities300,203 articles in the full recorded period
61,732 recent · 46,313 prior
Geopolitical Disputes And Contested Areas300,199 articles in the full recorded period
61,730 recent · 46,314 prior
Administrative And Political Subdivisions300,183 articles in the full recorded period
61,729 recent · 46,304 prior
International Political Relations23,431 articles in the full recorded period
3,148 recent · 3,251 prior
Security And Defense Policies18,144 articles in the full recorded period
2,347 recent · 2,669 prior
International Relations And Diplomacy15,816 articles in the full recorded period
1,736 recent · 2,124 prior
Trade Policies And Agreements12,447 articles in the full recorded period
3,751 recent · 2,157 prior
International Sports Competitions12,412 articles in the full recorded period
1,556 recent · 1,196 prior
Cryptocurrency Impact On Forex Markets8,660 articles in the full recorded period
1,673 recent · 821 prior
Cybersecurity And Cyber Warfare6,373 articles in the full recorded period
542 recent · 764 prior

Recent and prior counts use the source comparison windows.

Topics gaining and losing attention

Media & Entertainment coverage across South Korea

KeywordRecentPriorChange
countries2,4051,005139%
trade dispute mechanisms83156547%
bilateral trade77249855%
trade facilitation commitments36125044%
smart tv35021364%
smartphone models31720852%
smart television31018667%
smartphone os29817174%
wifi television28917367%
android tv28918358%
aircraft wreckage43374-89%
aircraft emergency procedures32306-90%
olympic team selections167287-42%
flight safety measures45283-84%
korean dmz clashes97224-57%

Event and signal lenses

Media & Entertainment coverage across South Korea

All complete annual cohorts shown
Rising

Regulatory Risk

552,560 classified articles

territories, disputed islands, countries

15.0% critical · 10.2% positive
Rising

Funding Momentum

27,148 classified articles

quarterfinals, world cup, pre-ipo valuation

41.4% critical · 45.3% positive
Rising

Growth

96,814 classified articles

gdp growth rate, gdp acceleration, economic output growth

32.6% critical · 47.9% positive

Media & Entertainment coverage across South Korea. Topic labels describe recorded classifications and can include broad context.

GEOGRAPHIC FOOTPRINT

Where companies are based

Company counts, hiring and disclosed funding across the recorded hubs.

Expand panel +
8 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

UNDERSTAND THE LANDSCAPE

Media & Entertainment in South Korea: key questions

Clear definitions for making better comparisons.

What does this landscape measure?

It measures the tracked company ecosystem, recorded funding, hiring and other available evidence. It is not a market-size estimate.

Can segment counts be added together?

No. A company can belong to several segments, so segment counts and funding can overlap.

What does a missing figure mean?

A dash or unavailable panel means the current reviewed source snapshot does not support that figure.

KEEP EXPLORING

Put South Korea in context

All landscapes ↗

Company ecosystem snapshot: 31 August 2026. Funding is recorded in USD; filed accounts retain their stated currency and reporting basis. Each section identifies its own coverage. The news and research behind these sections is explorable in Prism.

Canonical landscape ↗
Coming soon