Series Mania Forum Taps Korea as Inaugural Country of Honor

Series Mania Forum has designated the Republic of Korea as its inaugural Country of Honor, bringing a high-profile delegation of Korean entertainment companies to the industry event running March 24-26, in Lille, France.

The country has had a robust presence at the event in recent years. The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the government organization coordinating promotion of Korea’s content sector, will lead a delegation of eight companies to the forum: Channel A Corporation, CJ ENM, EO Content Group, KBS Media, MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corp.), SLL Joongang, Studio S and Whynot Media.

Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg announced the Country of Honour designation on Tuesday, recognizing Korea’s contributions to global content development. The forum takes place during the broader Series Mania Festival, which runs March 20-27.

The initiative received support from France’s National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) and its president Gaëtan Bruel. KOCCA and CNC previously signed a memorandum of understanding during Series Mania 2024 committing to promote France-Korea exchanges and strengthen bilateral content industry growth.

Programming for the Korean focus will include a Coming Next from Korea session, Korean speakers participating in conference panels, a networking reception and additional events.

The designation coincides with the 140th anniversary of France-Korea diplomatic relations, dating to the 1886 Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation. The honor reciprocates last year’s recognition of France at BroadCast Worldwide, Asia’s largest broadcast content marketing event, during its 25th edition in Seoul.

Korea’s content market reached $43.1 billion in 2024, up 5.7% from $40.8 billion in 2023, maintaining its position as the eighth-largest content market globally. Korean content viewership in France has surged more than 200% year-over-year on Netflix, while also expanding through traditional French broadcast channels.

“This will be the first time we have highlighted a country at our event, and we are thrilled that it is Korea, whose excellence and creativity in film and audiovisual production are widely recognized,” Herszberg said. “This celebration is especially meaningful as it coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea. Both countries have rich histories and cultures, united by mutual fascination and a shared commitment to strengthening ties in an increasingly globalized world.”

Moonju Kim, general director of KOCCA France, said the agency has contributed to Korean storytelling’s global reach through series including “Squid Game” and “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty.”

“We hope that Series Mania, as one of the world’s leading platforms for series content, will further deepen mutual understanding and foster sustainable cooperation, including co-production and investment, between Korea and France,” Kim said.

Based in Lille since 2018, Series Mania has established itself as a premier television series event, attracting over 108,000 spectators to its festival and 5,000 professionals from more than 75 countries to its forum, with 84 exhibitors and 25 international delegations.