In Korea’s Hanam City, Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae announced on November 17 that it has signed a business agreement with the Korea Broadcasting and Popular Arts Association (K-Asia) at Hanam City Union Tower to advance the “K-Culture Complex (K-Star World)” project and strengthen the competitiveness of Korea’s cultural and video content industries.
The signing ceremony was attended by leading figures from five major broadcasting and popular arts organizations, including Yoo Seung-bong, Chairman of the Korea Broadcasting and Popular Arts Association, and Association Advisor Jeong Hye-seon. The participating organizations pledged their support to ensure that the K-Culture Complex (K-Star World) grows into a representative cultural industry landmark for the Republic of Korea.
Korean cultural content—including K-pop, dramas, and films—continues to gain global popularity, significantly enhancing the nation’s image and contributing to economic growth. In line with this global trend, Hanam City is pursuing the K-Culture Complex (K-Star World) as a core strategic project intended to elevate the city into a leading cultural industry hub within the metropolitan region. The complex will feature a 20,000–30,000-seat K-pop performance hall, a world-class video production studio, and an academy.
Hanam City has also pushed forward regulatory reforms to support this initiative. Following revised guidelines by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in July 2023, development restriction zones can now be lifted when appropriate water pollution countermeasures are established. In November 2023, the Emergency Economic Ministers’ Meeting—led by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs—announced that required administrative procedures for large-scale foreign investment development projects would be shortened from 42 months to 21 months.
Further momentum was gained when an April 2025 research study by an organization under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism identified Hanam City as the ideal location for the K-Culture Complex. After consultation with the Ministry of Environment, Hanam City submitted its water pollution source management plan to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in April 2025 and received a response in June, enabling continued smooth progress of the project.
Through this agreement, key broadcasting and entertainment organizations affirmed that the success of K-Star World—anchored in Korea’s cultural industry—will significantly contribute to the advancement of the national cultural sector.
Hanam City stated that, while driving the project forward through regulatory improvements and expedited administrative processes, it plans to develop an operational model that integrates performance, video production, experiential programs, and tourism. The goal is to create a system that directly benefits the artists participating in content creation.
After visiting the project site, Korea Broadcasting and Popular Arts Association Chairman Yoo Seung-bong commented, “I was able to confirm that K-Star World, promoted by Hanam City, is an outstanding project with strong feasibility. Once completed, and with the expertise of popular artists incorporated, it will become a world-class creative and performance center.” He also expressed his commitment to continued cooperation with Hanam City for the advancement of the cultural and video content industries.
Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae remarked, “It is a great honor to hold this signing ceremony with major organizations representing the broadcasting and popular arts fields. This agreement will serve as a foundation for elevating K-Star World into a national project.” He added, “We will successfully advance the K-Culture Complex (K-Star World) and contribute to Korea’s growth as a global cultural industry hub, while working with industry experts to build the best environment for world-class content creation.”
