Wooseok Seo joined bemyfriends in January 2022, where he leads the international expansion of the global fandom business solution b.stage and oversees the company's global business strategy, driving the growth of the global fandom business ecosystem.
Having led technology and strategic investment at major companies in Korea and abroad, including Delivery Hero and GS Shop, Seo founded beNX, HYBE's platform subsidiary, where he successfully launched Weverse and Weverse Shop. In building out a global cross-border commerce operation, he demonstrated first-hand the global scalability of the K-POP fandom business, and he is recognized as a pioneer of the fandom business who established the standard for the Korean superfan business model.
Since joining bemyfriends, Seo has expanded the scope of fandom business beyond K-POP into e-sports, sports, musicals, and content. He has built a superfan business ecosystem comprising more than 400 global clients, over 1,200 artist and brand IP partners, and more than 13 million cumulative members, while broadening the company's footprint worldwide through subsidiaries in the United States and Japan and a growing network of global partnerships. In 2025, bemyfriends acquired Dreamus Company, operator of the music platform FLO, completing an end-to-end IP value chain that runs from music distribution through to fandom conversion.
Seo has made it bemyfriends' core mission to export the fandom business playbook pioneered in Korea to IP holders around the world. As a pioneer of the Fan-Tech industry leading the global fandom business ecosystem, he continues to set new standards for the industry.

- Jan 2022 – Present: CEO, bemyfriends
- Jan 2021 – Dec 2021: Technology Advisor, HYBE
- Jul 2018 – Dec 2020: CEO, beNX (now Weverse Company)

Director of the Institute of K-Culture & Story Contents, Professor of Korean Language & Literature, and Dean of the Institute of International Education at Kyung Hee University

Soongbum Ahn is a Professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature, Director of the Institute of K-Culture & Story Contents, and Dean of the Institute of International Education at Kyung Hee University. Alongside his research on the global reception of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) and cultural content storytelling, he is also active as a film critic and poet. Since 2021, he has served as Principal Investigator for Phases 1 and 2 of the Laboratory Program for Korean Studies (supported by the Academy of Korean Studies). Starting in 2026, he leads an overseas-track research institute project under the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Global Humanities & Social Sciences Convergence Support Program, examining patterns of Hallyu and Korean Studies dissemination across 21 regions worldwide. He recently edited two scholarly volumes published by Palgrave Macmillan: Cultural Studies Keywords for Hallyu Researchers and Dynamics of Hallyu.

Key Career Milestones & Publications
- Former Host of EBS Cinema Heaven
- Former Storytelling Advisory Committee Member, Seoul Metropolitan Government
- Advisory Committee Member, K-Initiative Committee at the National Human Resources Development Institute (NHI)
- Author of the 2026 Culture Trends series
- Editor-in-Chief of the series 2026 K-Content: Inside and Outside Perspectives on Hallyu

Entertainment Sociologist & Consultant, METI adviser, Cabinet office IP strategy adviser, Visiting Professor at Nihon univ. MFA.

Based on the 15yrs career as a marketer/business development in DeNA, Deloitte, Bandai Namco, Bushiroad, he has IP business development into various fields: Game, Anime, Trading Card, Musical, Music Live, Sports.

Publishing; “Entertainment Business History2”(2026) “Entertainment Business Textbook”（2025）“Character Nation Japan”(2025), “Creator Wonderland“（2024）“Entertainment Business History” “Entertainment Guru”(2023), “Stan Economy”(2021), “Otaku Economy Genesis”(2019 Nikkei BP) “The Third Wave of Japanese Games”(2015)

Yoon-kyung Lee has been researching cultural and content industry policies at the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute (KCTI) since 2005. Her primary research areas include the content industry ecosystem and growth strategies, digital transformation, and the global expansion and international cooperation of cultural content. Serving on government policy and advisory committees, including those under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, she conducts research and provides policy advisory that bridges cultural industry policy with industry practice.

Recently, her research interests have centered on international cooperation, national image enhancement, and models of global cultural exchange through cultural content. She explores collaborative frameworks with key foreign nations, the shaping of global cultural agendas, and international cooperation models that connect culture with industry.

Key Career Background
- Apr 11, 2005 – Present: Senior Research Fellow, Korea Culture & Tourism Institute
- Apr 17, 2023 – Apr 16, 2024: Expert Member, Special Committee on Media and Content Industry Convergence, Office for Government Policy Coordination
- Jul 15, 2015 – Jul 14, 2016: Committee Member, Social Policy Advisory Committee to the Deputy Prime Minister

Bruno Lovrić, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at De La Salle University, Manila. His research examines the intersection of popular culture, global screen media, fandom, creative industries, and the mediatisation of cultural identity. His work explores how films, television, games, celebrities, and other popular cultural products shape identities, communities, and cultural consumption across national and digital contexts.

Dr. Lovrić has published on fandom and consumer culture, transnational popular culture, celebrity identity, film, and cultural soft power, including research on K-pop and Kdrama Fandom in Spain and Latin America; Film Stories & National Soft Power: Policies and Film Content of South Korea. He has also examined transnational identity and celebrity culture in “#BoycottMulan: Negotiating Transnational Identity and Authenticity on Social Media,” published in Asian Celebrity Cultures in the Digital Age. His current research further examines fandom economies and the role of popular entertainment in cultural diplomacy and international cultural exchange.

He holds a PhD in Media and Communication from City University of Hong Kong (SAR China), an MFA in Acting from The Ohio State University (US), and a BA in Theatre from Graceland University (US).

Professor of Art History, Director of the Regional Collaboration Center, Anchor Project Group, Duksung Women's University

Research Fellow, Institute of Global Urban Studies, Rikkyo University (Japan)
Grounded in art history and cultural contents, her research explores how cultural heritage and regional assets transform into contemporary creations and content. She focuses particularly on K-content, regional and urban branding, and urban experiences—examining how cultural heritage, urban daily life, play, and placemaking cultivate new content ecosystems, narrative universes, and brand extensions. Through research, education, and field projects, she investigates how creators and content bridge spaces, tourism, and local communities to generate novel cultural value.
Her major publications include "A New Theory of Contents Tourism II: Cultural Ecosystems Created by Narrative Worlds" (Suiyosha, 2026), "Hallyu Captivates the World" (CIR, 2024), and "A Paradigm Shift in Hallyu Contents Tourism: From Location Tourism to Lifestyle Tourism" (Journal of Cultural Contents Studies, 2026).

LIN CHENG-TE is a Taiwanese manga artist, animation director, and cultural IP creator with more than four decades of experience in comics, animation, character development, and cultural branding. A student of renowned cartoonist Tsai Chih-chung, Lin is best known for YOUNG GUNS, first serialized in Taiwan in 1990. The series achieved sales of more than 250,000 copies for a single volume and was published across multiple Asian markets, including Korea. In 2000, he was authorized by acclaimed novelist Jin Yong to create a manga adaptation of The Deer and the Cauldron. In 2012, Lin created and directed Fenmo Baby, an original 3D animated series inspired by Kunqu Opera, which has received more than 80 awards and honors. His work has expanded from publishing into animation, exhibitions, cultural tourism, licensing, and IP development, reflecting his long-term commitment to connecting storytelling, culture, audiences, and sustainable creator value.

Key professional experience and publications

1. Creator of YOUNG GUNS（1990–）
First serialized in Taiwan in 1990, YOUNG GUNS achieved sales of more than 250,000 copies for a single volume and cumulative long-form manga sales in the millions. The work was introduced to more than ten overseas markets across Asia, including Korea.

2. Manga Adaptation of Jin Yong's THE DUKE OF MOUNT DEER （2000）
Authorized by renowned novelist Jin Yong to create the manga adaptation, integrating extensive research into Qing Dynasty history, architecture, costume, crafts, and traditional culture.

3. Creator & Director of KOPRA（2012–）
Creator and chief director of the original 3D animated series inspired by Kunqu Opera, also participating in scriptwriting and character design. The project has received more than 80 awards and honors.

4. Cross-Media Cultural IP Development（2017–）
Expanded original animation IP into exhibitions, cultural tourism, merchandise, and international cultural exchange. The “KOPRA in Bloom at the Top of Shanghai” multimedia exhibition attracted more than three million visits.

A contemporary artist with a 30-year career, she has established a unique artistic universe across video, photography, installation, and performance, with works held in prominent collections both domestically and internationally, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA).

Since 2022, she has expanded her creative territory as a "World-Creating Artist," presenting worldbuilding-based art through generative AI.

Her major projects include Haesegado (2025–), an art content reimagining the story of Princess Deokhye through artistic imagination, currently on a global exhibition tour; Alice in Joseon (2025–), a musical animation project that won 1st Place in the Music Category at the AI Content Awards Pitch the Future; and the character collection Mystic Garden of Flowers (2025–), the Grand Prize winner of the JoongAng Media Art Competition, spanning digital out-of-home (DOOH) displays to official merchandise. In her book Seven Dimensions of Creativity in AI Art (2025), she introduced the seven forms of creativity alongside the concept of "Homo Genesis," which defines creator identity in the age of AI. She also serves as a policy advisor in the AI art sector for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Heritage Service.

Head of JK Fandom — Global Fandom Voting Platform & Fandom Business

A cross-border business specialist who has built his career in global marketing and platform business across the Korea-Japan IT and content markets. As an early member of Adways Korea, he led mobile app marketing and advertising operations, handling global marketing for major game companies including Netmarble, Nexon, and Com2uS. Since 2019, he has served as Global Director at FAN Communications, overseeing advertising, game publishing, and market-entry business for overseas companies expanding into Japan. He currently leads the fandom business behind JK Fandom, a global fandom voting platform connecting fan voting, content, and IP with global fandoms.

Key Career Highlights
- Early member of Adways Korea; led advertising business operations
- Led global app marketing for major game companies including Netmarble, Nexon, and Com2uS
- Appointed Global Director at FAN Communications in 2019, overseeing advertising, game publishing, and Japan market-entry business
- Heads the global fandom platform JK Fandom and its fandom business operations
- Operated the global fan voting campaign for the 76th Sapporo Snow Festival K-POP FESTIVAL, engaging fans from 90 countries with approximately 800,000 votes cast

Graduated from Ewha Womans University with a degree in Music Composition and earned both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Cultural Contents from Korea University. Worked as a broadcast writer specializing in variety and music shows for 15 years, primarily at MBC, and contributed to planning diverse media-driven contents, including EBS’s flagship live music show Space Gonggam.

Transitioning into directorship for global Hallyu productions, closely observed the evolution of the K-pop fandom from first-generation idol groups to the contemporary scene through numerous live concerts and international cultural festivals. Served as Artistic Director and General Executive Director for major government-led and international events—such as the Artistic Director for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the 2022 Presidential State Visit K-Pop Festival in Kazakhstan, the Centennial of the Provisional Republic of Korea Arirang Festival, the 2016 State Visit Performance in Iran, the 2015 State Visit Performance in Qatar, the Bukchon Festival, and the 2012 Yeosu Expo. Currently serves as the CEO and Creative Director of OLLIM Co., Ltd.

Authored several publications on pop culture, entertainment industries, and media trends, including Fandom Mind, K-Pop Insight, AI Creation and the Music Business, Pop Music Remakes and Retro Culture, and The Survival Formula of OTT Storytelling.

Key Career & Publications

Experience
- Artistic Director, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
- Head Professor, AI Entertainment Business Major, Graduate School of Hallyu Culture, Kyonggi University
- General Executive Director, 2022 Presidential State Visit K-Pop Festival in Astana, Kazakhstan
- General Executive Director, 2015 Presidential State Visit Performance in Doha, Qatar
- Production Director, Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea

Publications
- Fandom Mind (Book Korea, 2025)
- AI Creation and the Music Business (Communication Books, 2026)
- K-Pop Insight (Book Korea, 2020)
- The Survival Formula of OTT Storytelling (Book Korea, 2022)
- Pop Music Remakes and Retro Culture (Communication Books, 2015)

Woojin Cha is the Principal & Publisher of Neo Vibe Lab. Since 2020, he has been publishing the newsletter 'Cha Woo-jin's Entertainment Culture Lab,' analyzing industry outlooks across music, entertainment, fandoms, and intellectual property (IP).

After working at Hyundai Card’s Brand Department, he is now a brand strategist and the CEO of Idea Flap. Over the past 10+ years, he has partnered with prominent global IPs, such as Disney, translating content into viable business models through products, spatial branding, and retail experiences. Notably, he launched Korea's Disney retail store "S’more Market" following a series of successful experiential pop-up ventures. Leveraging over two decades of industry experience creating and merchandising thousands of products across diverse IPs, he offers practical perspectives on what it takes to build content and brands that audiences genuinely engage with, adore, and invest in.

I.T.Shin is the founder and CEO of OGQ Corp., Korea's leading creator-IP marketplace. Founded in 2010, OGQ distributes 59 million works by 1.3 million creators to 191 countries and is building an AI-native "IP Economy" that turns a single creation into stickers, merchandise, games and AI training data with transparent settlement. Backed by NAVER and SOOP with about KRW 85 billion raised, OGQ holds 84 patents in IP recognition, generation and analytics AI and is preparing a 2027 KOSDAQ listing. He created POSDAQ, Korea's first political prediction market, in 1996 and teaches data, platforms and politics at Yonsei University.

Key Career Highlights and Publications

- Associate Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Intellectual Property Convergence, Graduate School, Gyeongsang National University
- Commissioner, Korea Copyright Commission
- Director of Publications, Korea Intellectual Property Law Association
- Executive Director, Korean Law and Policy Association
- Former Expert Advisor, Presidential Council on Intellectual Property

Byungmin LEE
Professor, Department of Cultural Contents, Konkuk University
Byungmin LEE is a Professor in the Department of Cultural Contents, College of Liberal Arts, Konkuk University, where he has taught for over fifteen years, and Director of the Glocal Culture Strategy Research Institute. He previously served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Seoul National University, specializing in economic geography and industrial location, and served as Head of the Policy Development Team at the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) for over eight years. His research spans regional culture, cultural content industries, local branding, glocalization, and culture-led urban regeneration, with particular attention to the global impact of Hallyu. A past President of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea and the Korea Association of Cultural Economics, he currently serves as President of the International Association of Area Studies in Korea and sits on advisory and evaluation committees for government cultural projects.

Professor, Department of Geography (Faculty of Letters) and Institute for Regional Creation (Graduate School) at Hosei University; specializes in cultural geography.

Born in Sapporo in 1957, he holds a doctorate from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo. His career includes roles at NTV Video Center, AIR-G’ (FM Hokkaido), Toshiba EMI, and Sony Music Entertainment, where he was engaged in the production of broadcast programs and music content, as well as the discovery of new talent.
Holds numerous public positions, including President of the Content Tourism Society, Special Director of the Japan Association for Cultural Economics, "Kibokyo Iwate" Cultural Ambassador, member of the Iwate Prefecture Council for the Promotion of Culture and the Arts, member of the Yokosuka City Park Designated Administrator Selection Committee, and Special Advisor to the NPO Saeko Himuro Youth Literature Award. Also serves as an Expert Commentator for Yahoo! Japan.

Major solo-authored works include "People Traveling Through Stories" (Sairyusha, 2010), "The Music of Desire" (Hosei University Press), "Local Content and Regional Revitalization" (Suiyosha, 2018), " Why Korean Content Is Taking the World by Storm" (2023), and "A Course on Japanese Cultural Content as Business Knowledge" (Tokuma Shoten, 2025), among many others.