The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on June 16 that, together with the Korea Content Agency, it will launch a new "Support Project for Global Leap of Small and Medium-sized Entertainment Companies" this year to assist these agencies in entering overseas markets for the sustainable growth of the K-pop market. Following an open call, 10 groups were selected as the first recipients of this support: RESCENE, xikers, TUNEXX, Kiiras, can't be blue, 82MAJOR, Big Ocean, USPEER, X:IN, and 8TURN.
The "Global Leap Support for Small and Mid-Sized Agencies" program selects 10 capable small and mid-sized agencies each year and provides each with up to approximately 300 million won annually. Through performance evaluations, support can continue for up to three consecutive years to back the medium- to long-term growth of the agencies' artists. The program is designed to move away from the existing compartmentalized support limited to individual areas such as album production and concerts, allowing resources to be concentrated where they are most effective according to each agency's needs and strategy.
Each agency can choose autonomously how to use the funding within areas needed for overseas expansion, such as producing albums and music videos for export, overseas local marketing and promotion, and holding concerts.
According to the ministry, the 10 groups selected this year will pursue overseas expansion on the basis of this support. In particular, RESCENE (The Muse Entertainment), which drew public attention with "LOVE ATTACK," announced plans to work in Japan and the United States. RESCENE recently performed at "KCON JAPAN" held in Japan. The group is also set to appear at "KCON LA" this August, through which it plans to make the leap to becoming a "K-rising star."
Xikers (KQ Entertainment), considered a junior group to ATEEZ, is also stepping up its push into the Japanese market. Going forward, the group plans to cement its standing as a performance idol representing the fifth generation, centered on releasing a mini album and a unit project.
There are also groups preparing for global expansion through emerging markets. TUNEXX (IST Entertainment), a rookie group that officially debuted in March this year and has been continuing overseas activities in Japan and Taiwan, will present a special stage in Mumbai, India, and film a music video locally to broaden its connection with the Indian market.
Kiiras (Lynn Branding), which is taking an aggressive approach led by its new song "TATA," plans to hold a showcase locally in Malaysia and conduct fan meetings in 10 cities across seven Asian countries. The group expressed its ambition to develop new markets on the basis of its existing Latin American fandom and to secure its position as a skilled K-pop group.
Among the selected groups is also a band. can't be blue (Cat's Whiskers), a rapidly growing band, has been building an overseas fandom through solo concerts and promotions abroad. In particular, it was officially selected for Spotify's RADAR program and plans to expand its connections with the global market.
According to KOCCA, K-pop revenue and exports in 2025 rose 15.8 percent and 32.4 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, demonstrating its prominence in the global market. However, there have been concerns that the concentration on major agencies has intensified, weakening the backbone of the ecosystem.
In fact, as of 2023, large companies' annual music production costs averaged 43.11 billion won, while small and mid-sized companies' production costs averaged just 1.49 billion won. The number of overseas performances also showed a gap of more than 20 times, with large companies holding 83.4 per year compared with just four for small and mid-sized companies.
The ministry said,
"K-pop has established itself as a mainstream global culture, but for sustainable growth, the small and mid-sized agencies that form the backbone of the industry must be able to grow." It added, "We hope this new program will give rise to another 'miracle of the small and mid-sized,' which can lead the future of K-pop."
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