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The South Korean government is betting big on animation, unveiling a $1 billion investment strategy aimed at transforming its cartoon industry into a global powerhouse.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday rolled out its “Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Animation Industry,” a sweeping five-year initiative designed to address long-standing structural weaknesses in the Korean animation sector, including overreliance on preschool content, heavy dependence on traditional television broadcasts, and challenging production conditions, according to The Korea Herald.

Central to the strategy is a massive financial injection, beginning with a KRW20 billion ($14 million) animation fund launching this year that will expand to KRW150 billion ($1 billion) by 2029. In a move designed to attract international players, the government will introduce cash rebates for co-productions that meet specific criteria and are primarily produced in Korea.

The initiative emphasizes audience diversification, with targeted support for content appealing to young adults and older demographics.

Exclusive: London’s Kedoo Entertainment is continuing to build out in the kids’ content space.

The producer and distributor has launched a Super Toons app, struck more Fast channels agreements, and acquired animated action series Gormiti Seasons 1 and 2 from DeAPlaneta.

The Super Toons app is now available to download and will have a programming line-up including Angry Birds, Masha and the Bear, Booba, Pororo the Little Penguin, Om Nom Stories and Mighty Mike.

The app, which costs 99p ($1.29) per month or £9.99 per year, will be an extension of the existing Super Toons TV YouTube channels, which currently have more than 20 million subscribers cumulatively.

Meanwhile, Fast channel Super Toons TV, which has been distributed on Samsung TV Plus since 2020, has struck a pair of carriage deals. TV set manufacturer Tcl will run both Super Toons TV and Toon Mania on its Tcl Channel worldwide, while an agreement with Xiaomi will see...