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DUBAI / GULF TIME
Global Village in Dubai was infused with the vibrant colours and energy of the Korean culture with the launch of the “K-Expo UAE”, a comprehensive platform that brings globally renowned Korean content together with everyday lifestyle experiences. From K-pop and webtoons to beauty, cuisine, and character-based interactive zones, the event was designed as a space for discovery and engagement throughout last Weekend
Through a series of carefully curated experiences blending entertainment, technology, and cultural exchange, K-Expo highlighted various dimensions of Korean culture through family-focused themes and programs.
The exhibition was visited by several consuls and diplomats from the Philippines, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Thailand, Australia, Kuwait, and South Africa.
Visitors explored carefully designed zones, enjoyed live interactive performances, and concluded their experience with a K-pop concert on the main stage featuring CHEN, Billlie, Punch, Kim Jo Wang, and UAE-based group PIXIES. All within content that respects local values while appealing to diverse global tastes.
Commenting on the event, Rak-Kyun Kim, Director of Global Innovation at the Korea Creative Content Agency, said:
“K-Expo is an important platform because it enables Korean culture enthusiasts in the region to directly experience different aspects of Korea, including digital content, cuisine, beauty products, lifestyle trends, and cultural interaction with the Middle East. This event features the participation of 12 Korean ministries and government institutions, along with 218 leading Korean companies. It is a comprehensive festival that includes exhibitions, public activities, open concerts, and export-consultation sessions for businesses.”
Rak-Kyun Kim added:
“Visitors were amazed and delighted by the diverse experiences. We received feedback indicating that people were able to witness the richness and variety of Korean culture up close — especially within the ‘Enjoy’ game-inspired experience zone, which recreated scenes from the game and showcased a wide range of lifestyle products. Visitors also enjoyed the character ‘DJ show’ enhanced with advanced visual and audio technologies through LG’s sound system. In the ‘Stepin’ zone, guests were excited to participate in an AI-powered random K-pop dance challenge.”
For his part, Woong-Il Park, Director of the Korea Creative Content Agency’s UAE Center, said:
“Dubai is a global hub for capital, technology exchange, and international transportation, making it an ideal location to host K-Expo and showcase Korean culture to audiences from all over the world.”
Park continued:
“K-Expo UAE was designed as a truly interactive and experiential cultural space. Beyond the K-pop concerts, visitors could engage in hands-on activities at the Korean cosmetics pavilion, enjoy live cooking shows at the Korean food pavilion, and explore exhibitions based on famous Korean intellectual properties. All these experiences directly tie into daily lifestyle themes that reflect the essence of contemporary Korean culture.”
Rak-Kyun Kim concluded:
“Global Village is one of Dubai’s most prominent cultural and tourism destinations, a place where people from around the world come together to exchange experiences and explore diverse cultures. We found it to be the ideal environment to showcase the convergence of artificial intelligence and content, global capital exchange, enhanced cooperation between content creators and consumer brands, and cross-cultural engagement through K-pop performances.”
In an exclusive discussion with Gulf Times, Rak-Kyun Kim shed more light on the K-Expo activities in the UAE with focus on two points:
Highlighting the reason for choosing Dubai at the host city for K-Expo, Rauk-Kun Kim noted that “Dubai is an iconic global crossroads of culture and a future-oriented city where innovation and advanced technologies converge.
This makes it an ideal environment for creating and shaping new trends.
K-EXPO stands at the intersection where Dubai’s unique urban identity meets Korea’s creative cultural industries.
We expect that this event will play an important role in strengthening cultural exchange between Korea and the UAE, while also expanding into broader global cooperation between the two countries.”
And in response to the highlighting the significance of the collaboration with the Global Village, Rak-Kyun Kim highlighted that “the collaboration carries the meaning that Korean content and culture are entering the everyday cultural experiences of Dubai.
Global Village is one of the UAE’s most prominent cultural platforms, where people from all around the world gather.
Therefore, it is the ideal venue for Korean content to meet the widest and most diverse audience.
We see this partnership as the starting point for Korea and the UAE to create a new cultural model together, centered in Dubai and expanding outward to global audiences.
In this sense, the collaboration holds both strategic and symbolic significance.”