The Korea Craft & Design Foundation (KCDF), an arm of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will pursue a "corporate-linked traditional culture product development" project together with five leading Korean companies including Shinsegae, Woongjin Food, Kakao Games, Krafton, and Hybe, the foundation said Tuesday.
The "corporate-linked traditional culture product development" project develops traditional culture products with competitive, modern sensibilities through collaboration between corporate brands and traditional culture companies and creators. Following last year's project with three companies including LG Household & Health Care, Terarosa, and Krafton, the scale of collaboration has expanded this year.
The collaboration spans retail, food, gaming, and entertainment. Participating companies and traditional culture companies and creators will explore new collaborative possibilities for traditional culture based on each brand's characteristics and consumer touchpoints. Shinsegae will develop mother-of-pearl and hanji (traditional Korean paper) products reflecting its brand heritage and unveil them through "House of Shinsegae." Woongjin Food will develop traditional culture special editions of "Morning Rice" and "Green Plum," pursuing distribution not only in Korea but also in global markets including Vietnam.
Kakao Games will develop hanbok costumes and gaming lifestyle goods to coincide with the launch of its new game "World of Dokkaebi." Krafton (PUBG STUDIOS) will develop a traditional food menu using its PUBG: Battlegrounds IP and present it at a cafe inside "PUBG Seongsu," its complex cultural space. Hybe will develop traditional accessories and goods linked to the girl group "ILLIT."
The developed traditional culture products will be unveiled sequentially within the year through each company's online and offline distribution networks. In addition, a pop-up showcase where the collaborative products can be seen in one place is planned for December.
KCDF President Kim Kyung-bae said, "By combining traditional culture with corporate brands, this will create an opportunity for traditional culture to expand into content within consumers' daily lives and an industrial resource." He added, "We will continue to expand collaboration with companies so that traditional culture does not remain confined to a specific area but can converge with various industries to create new added value."
