Sales revenue of animation industry South Korea 2020, by industry

In 2020, the production sector of the animation industry in South Korea posted a sales revenue of around 480 billion South Korean won. This made it the most successful industry sector, followed by distribution, which generated sales worth around 56 billion won. Overall, the South Korean animation industry made a sales revenue of around 553.3 billion won that year.

South Korea’s animation landscape

Capitalizing on their supportive role in international productions as well as the rise in popularity of domestic productions, production companies made up the majority of active businesses in the South Korean animation industry. Most of these businesses were located in the capital city of Seoul as well as the surrounding province of Gyeonggi. Between 2015 and 2020 the industry experienced a 15.5 percent increase in employee numbers, most of whom were likewise employed in the production sector.

Animation imports and exports

While South Korea also imports animation, most notably from Japan, the total import value in 2020 only amounted to around 7.8 million U.S. dollars. In contrast, exports of Korean animation in the same year amounted to over 134.5 million dollars. North America was the most popular destination for Korean animation, with around 47.8 percent of exports heading to the continent. South Korean animation studios have long established themselves as reliable producers for high-profile international animation productions, playing a role in many well-known American cartoon series and films such as “The Legend of Korra.”