The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) has announced the creation of a 731.8 billion KRW content policy fund to accelerate the era of ‘K-Culture 300 trillion.’ This marks a 22% increase from the previous year, setting a new record for the largest fund ever. In collaboration with Korea Venture Investment, the ministry has opened the first regular investment for the 2026 Mother Fund. The fund is divided into cultural and film accounts, each tailored to support their respective industries. Various incentives have also been introduced to encourage greater participation from private investors.
The cultural account has increased by 25% year-on-year to 650 billion KRW, with the government investing 390 billion KRW to establish five sub-funds. Key investment areas include the Intellectual Property (IP) Fund (200 billion KRW), Export Fund (200 billion KRW), Culture Technology (CT) Fund (100 billion KRW), Content New Growth Fund (75 billion KRW), and M&A/Secondary Fund (75 billion KRW). The film account, with a government investment ratio raised to 60%, will total 81.8 billion KRW, supporting the Main Korean Film Fund (56.7 billion KRW), Mid-Low Budget Korean Film Fund (13.4 billion KRW), and Animation Fund (11.7 billion KRW).
To attract more private investment, the ministry has expanded incentives such as priority loss compensation, excess profit transfer, and call options. These measures aim to facilitate the swift flow of policy fund capital into the market. Lim Sung-hwan, Director of Cultural Industry Policy at MCST, emphasized that supplying investment capital is crucial for the ‘K-Culture 300 trillion era,’ and the 2026 content policy fund will support both new growth areas and the recovery market. Fund proposals will be accepted online from the 19th to the 26th of next month, with final operators to be announced in April.
This policy fund aims to ensure stable growth and global competitiveness for the content industry. Investments will focus on securing IP, developing new technologies, nurturing startups, and overcoming the film industry crisis. If the virtuous investment cycle between the government and private sector is established, K-Content’s expansion into global markets is expected to accelerate. The effectiveness of the policy fund and increased private investment will likely have a positive ripple effect across the entire content industry.
This policy fund represents more than just financial support; it aims to fundamentally strengthen the content industry’s foundation through IP acquisition, technology innovation, and startup ecosystem development. The introduction of enhanced incentives for private investors is expected to invigorate the capital market and reinforce a virtuous investment cycle. In the long term, these measures will solidify K-Culture’s global competitiveness and provide a sustainable growth platform for Korea’s content industry worldwide.