Influencers have grown beyond simple content producers to become key players driving a range of industries, including commerce, beauty and food. But the systems and infrastructure to support that growth remain insufficient. We need to lead the global market through the industrialization of influencers. (Kim Hyun-kyung, president of the Korea Influencer Association)
We should view influencers, together with startups, as a core industry that will lead Korea's future economy. To do that, active government investment and support are needed. (Yoo Hyo-sang, head of the Unicorn Management and Economy Research Institute)
The Korea Influencer Association held the Global Influencer Voice Forum on Apr. 9 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul.
The forum's core theme is influencer voice. Although the influencer industry has grown rapidly over the past 10 years to become a key pillar of the content industry and exports of consumer goods, there is a concern that the views of influencers and creators driving the industry have not been adequately reflected in systems and policies.
In practice, influencers have expanded their role beyond a simple marketing channel to content producers who plan and sell their own brands and products, and they are increasing their influence in major export industries such as K-beauty. They are also drawing attention as a distribution channel for small business owners. However, there has been steady criticism that influencer participation is limited in key decision-making structures such as platform policies, government regulations and standards of corporations.
The Global Influencer Voice Forum was organized to address these limitations. About 70 creators and influencers, as well as some 120 participants including officials from government ministries such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the National Assembly, businesspeople and experts, attended to share on-site views and discuss directions for policies on influencer industrialization and growth.
In opening remarks, Kim Hyun-kyung, president of the Korea Influencer Association, said the influencer industry stands at an important turning point and that it is time to resolve structural issues such as the blurry line between advertising and content, the one-sidedness of platform policies, the lack of creator protections and the limits to support for global expansion. Kim added that influencers should take part as key participants in growth policy discussions to jointly design the industry's direction.
Lee Cheol-gyu, chair of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, said in a welcome address that whenever a new industry emerges, systems fail to keep up, resulting in constraints due to policy gaps, and noted that he would carefully review what is needed so institutional support can be provided based on voices from the influencer field.
The forum also featured a panel discussion on the voices from the influencer field and directions for industrialization, moderated by Yoo Hyo-sang, head of the Unicorn Management and Economy Research Institute. Yoo said the government is providing comprehensive support for startups, from seed investment to accelerating, scaling up and global expansion, and stressed that influencers should likewise be seen as an industry that will lead Korea's future economy, requiring active investment and growth support policies.
Economic YouTuber "Shuka World" said influencers also need to become corporations. Shuka World said that even creators of a certain scale like Shuka World face uncertainty about the future and said influencers should be viewed as corporations rather than individuals and fostered systematically like startups. Shuka World added that related systems should also be advanced so influencers can exercise creativity and achieve sustained growth.
First-generation creator "Doti" said what matters most in the influencer industry is ultimately content and said that through the corporatization of creators, high-quality content should be produced and added value expanded on that basis.
Cha Byung-gon, CEO of MCN corporation Sandbox, stressed that the scope and size of the industry—including full-time influencers, employed staff and influencer corporations—should first be clearly defined and systematically surveyed, and said policies should be established to promote industry growth on that basis.
Lee Gyu-bong, director-general for mid-sized enterprise policy at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), said that because multiple ministries, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, are involved in influencer-related government policy, a comprehensive review is needed, and said the ministry is promoting projects focused on the overseas expansion of Korean products using influencers and is reviewing ways to support influencer activities with this year's secured budget.
On the day, the Korea Influencer Association announced a six core initiative roadmap for fostering the influencer industry. The association plans to conduct a fact-finding survey and policy research analyzing the industry's size, revenue structure and export performance, and to establish a K-standard model based on self-regulation by introducing a four-stage clean certification system.
It will also establish a protection system for digital creators and nurture K-influencers as a strategic export industry. In addition, it will work to strengthen creator content capabilities by supporting market access and marketing that link small business owners with influencers, along with AI-based content production support and the training of professionals.