Disney and Kakao Entertainment are joining forces on a strategic partnership announced on September 16 in Seoul, targeting approximately 10 projects that will bring K-pop intellectual property together with Disney stories and characters. The plan extends beyond a conventional licensing arrangement, with the companies looking to explore collaborations across music, content, commerce and live entertainment, alongside a proposed K-culture fund. The initiative gives Korean IP a route into Disney’s worldwide network while creating new opportunities to connect Disney storytelling with Korea’s powerful fandom culture.
Under the agreement, the two companies will work on projects over the medium to long term rather than unveiling 10 completed productions at once. Kakao Entertainment said the collaboration will create new worlds where K-pop IP and Disney storytelling can connect, with the resulting experiences potentially spanning different forms of entertainment and commerce.
The proposed K-culture fund adds an investment element to the partnership. It remains under discussion, with its size, investment targets and launch timing yet to be determined. The fund is therefore not being presented as an already operational vehicle, but as part of the companies’ wider plan to identify and develop Korean IP with international potential.
Kakao Entertainment brings an ecosystem covering music, dramas and webtoons, while also extending IP through live entertainment, commerce and a global fan platform. This structure gives the partnership room to connect music and storytelling with performances and merchandise. For fans, the concept could mean encountering familiar Disney characters and stories alongside K-pop artists and their established creative worlds across several touchpoints.
The announcement also forms part of a wider Disney Korea strategy. The company is pursuing collaborations with other major Korean entertainment businesses, including SM Entertainment, HYBE and Starship Entertainment. Disney Korea said its planned work with SM Entertainment will involve Marvel stories and the fictional universes associated with its artists, while projects involving HYBE and Starship Entertainment are also being prepared. These initiatives are separate from the Kakao partnership rather than components of a single contract.
Disney Korea is also positioning South Korea as an important base for developing collaborations that can travel internationally. Kim Hyun-jin, head of the consumer products division at The Walt Disney Company Korea, described Korea as a strategic market where K-pop, Korean content and other elements of Korean culture can connect with Disney’s global network. The company’s approach extends beyond screen projects into consumer products, retail and fan experiences.
Disney’s broader relationship with Korean digital IP provides additional context. In 2025, Disney and WEBTOON Entertainment announced an expanded collaboration involving a digital comics platform and a proposed 2% equity investment by Disney in WEBTOON Entertainment. That arrangement is separate from the Kakao agreement, but it illustrates Disney’s interest in extending its characters and stories through digital platforms and Korean-originated ecosystems.
For Kakao Entertainment, the partnership offers another route for Korean IP to move between formats and markets. For Disney Korea, it creates a framework for combining established global storytelling with the music, fandom and creative systems that have helped K-pop travel worldwide.
Rather than treating Korean entertainment simply as content for a regional audience, the September 16 agreement places Korean IP at the centre of a broader cross-border development strategy. Its approximately 10 planned projects, proposed fund and wider network of collaborations show how Disney and Kakao are exploring ways for stories, music, merchandise and fan experiences developed in Korea to reach audiences beyond the country. The outcome will depend on the projects eventually announced, but the partnership establishes a broader framework for Disney and Kakao to develop Korean entertainment IP for global audiences.
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