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U-KNOCK 2026 Japan Summit to Spotlight Korea-Japan Content Industry Collaboration
posted on by Wonhee Cho
A Korea-Japan content industry summit will be held in Tokyo this July, bringing together companies and stakeholders across webtoon, web novel, film, animation, and K-pop sectors.
The U-KNOCK 2026 Japan Summit is scheduled to take place from July 7 to 9, with events held at Tokyo Innovation Base on the first day and Mandarin Oriental Tokyo on the second and third days. Registration to the event opened on Monday.
Organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and beSUCCESS Media Group, the three-day event will begin with keynote sessions and panel discussions, followed by curated one-on-one business matching meetings between Korean content companies and Japanese partners.
15 Korean companies are expected to participate, spanning sectors including webtoon and web novel, drama and film, animation, content distribution, K-pop and fandom, and edtech. Several of these companies are already expanding into the Japanese market through platforms such as LINE Manga, Piccoma, and Mechacomic.
On the Japanese side, strategic partners include Dentsu Ventures, Bandai Namco 021 Fund, Shochiku Ventures, DG Daiwa Ventures, Headline, IMM, MBS, and DeNA.
The opening day keynote will feature actress Joo-ryoung Kim, known for her role as Mi-nyeo Han (Player 212) in Netflix's Squid Game, in a session titled “The Formula Behind Korean Content's Success.”
The summit comes as Korean content companies continue to expand their presence in Japan, one of the largest and most competitive markets for webcomics and entertainment IP. By combining panel discussions with targeted business meetings, the event aims to facilitate cross-border collaboration and investment in original IP development and adaptation.
Source: E-mail correspondence
