Kocca signs agreements with content-related government agency, company in UAE

The Korea Creative Content Agency (Kocca) signed two agreements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a content-related government agency and company to facilitate cultural exchanges between the two countries, the agency said Wednesday. The memor...

From left, Index Holding's Vice Chairman Anas Al Madani, Chairman Abdul Salam Al Madani, Kocca President Jo Hyun-rae and Moon Byung-jun, the new Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Dubai, signed memorandums of understanding to foster cultural exchanges between the two countries through content. [KOCCA]

The Korea Creative Content Agency (Kocca) signed two agreements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a content-related government agency and company to facilitate cultural exchanges between the two countries, the agency said Wednesday.

The memorandums of understanding (MOU) was signed with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), a government agency under Department of Economy and Tourism, and Index Holding, a state-run company famed for hosting the Dubai International Content Market, one of the biggest entertainment and media marketplaces in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The MOUs were signed by Kocca’s President Jo Hyun-rae, DFRE’s CEO Ahmed Al-Khaja and Index Holding’s Chairman Abdul Salam Al Madani and Vice Chairman Anas Al Madani.

Through the two deals, Kocca aims to diversify global distribution and export of K-content, also referred to as hallyu, at a time when Korean content is seeing increased consumption and demand in the Middle East.

The three parties will cooperate on holding major content events in the two countries, such as as Dubai International Content Market, K-pop concert “KITE: K-pop in the Emirates” and K-content Expo. The three will also co-organize content-related projects and hold regular meetings to exchange information about their respective domestic markets.

“We have high hopes to form close partnerships with companies in the Middle East, a foothold of the spread of hallyu,” said Jo in a statement. “We’ll strive forward so that our interaction can contribute to the development of K-content and content industry.”

The MOUs were signed in line with President Yoon Suk Yeol’s four-day state visit from Saturday to Tuesday, where numerous companies from the two countries signed business agreements across industries such as hydrogen, defense, bio and smart farms.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]