Disney, Marvel, Pixar to collaborate to highlight K-pop, Korean heritage

Walt Disney Company Korea unveiled a new campaign in Seoul on Wednesday to expand K-pop, Korean heritage and Korean content into new consumer experiences. The campaign, called ICONS UNLEASED: Global Icon Becomes Center of New K-Wave, will involve partnerships with K-pop agencies, Disney IP, and new tourism and retail products. Disney Korea also said it will host Disney Run and Marvel Run next month, with a special performance by Illit.

Disney Korea said it has worked with 150 partner firms in Seoul since it was established in 1992.

Kim Hyun-jin said Disney partners across 180 countries have jointly generated $64 billion in retail sales.

The company said it earned $6.58 billion at the global box office last year.

Disney plans to release Avengers: Doomsday in December, along with Frozen 3 and Star Wars: Starfighter next year.

Mickey Mouse will celebrate his 100th birthday in 2028.

Published Sep 16, 2026 4:51 pm KST

Korean contents to help globalize Disney's IPs

Kim Hyun-jin, head of Consumer Products at Walt Disney Company Korea, speaks during the Disney Korea Franchise Showcase 2027 in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

The Walt Disney Company’s long-standing legacy in animation, entertainment and consumer products is entering a new chapter in Korea, where the company sees the country’s global content power as a new source of inspiration for next-generation consumer experiences.

Walt Disney Company Korea on Wednesday unveiled its new campaign, “ICONS UNLEASED: Global Icon Becomes Center of New K-Wave.” It builds on K-pop, Korean heritage and original Korean content, with plans to develop new businesses from each area.

Disney Korea will collaborate with K-pop management companies like Kakao Entertainment, SM Entertainment, HYBE and Starship Entertainment to combine their artists’ unique worldviews with stories from Marvel to create new fan experiences. The company cited the successfull collaboration between G-Dragon’s fashion lineup PEACEMINUSONE and Disney’s "Toy Story” franchise in July to introduce new toys, apparel and goods as precedent.

Korean cultural heritage will be combined with Disney intellectual properties (IP) to introduce new region-based tourism products for global tourists visiting Korea.

Hosting offline events involving rising trends in Korea like marathons, K-pop concerts, pop-up stores and food festivals is another mission for the company. Next month, the company will host both Disney Run and Marvel Run, incorporating a special performance by K-pop girl band Illit. Korean contents on Disney+ like “The Remarried Empress,” Teenieping and Kakao Friends will be developed into new consumer experiencess.

Toys and paintings featuring Mickey Mouse are displayed as part of an exhibition on the sidelines of the Disney Korea Franchise Showcase 2027 in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

“Have you ever seen a Mickey Mouse like this before?” asked Disney Korea’s Head of Consumer Products Kim Hyun-jin during the Disney Korea Franchise Showcase 2027 in Seoul on Wednesday, posing in front of a picture of the cartoon mouse smiling inside a traditional Korean landscape drawing. “The Korean wave has recreated this Disney character in an unprecedented way. This new Mickey, made in Korea, will again explore the world to meet global consumers.”

Kim defined the company’s new campaign as bridging Korea’s creative hub across music, contents, fashion and beauty to Disney’s iconic IPs and storytelling expertise that transcends national borders.

“Our biggest mission is to combine what only Korea can do and what only Disney can do,” Kim said. “For example, we will expand our popular franchises and brands in collaboration with Korea’s current frenzy over running. Why? Because running now represents the energetic Korean lifestyle now being shaped by the country’s young generations. Disney will be there wherever they run.”

Walt Disney Company Korea was established in Seoul in 1992 and has been working with 150 partner firms here in the fields of studio distribution, direct-to-consumer streaming, consumer products, content sales, games, publishing and digital experiences. Under the new initiative, called "Super Serve Partnership," the company will also restructure its ecosystem so those partners will be able to export to broader global markets, supporting them from product planning to marketing, distribution and market expansion.

A Sandtrooper from Walt Disney's "Star Wars" franchise and fashion items and figures inspired by the company's "Avengers" franchise are displayed on the sideline of Disney Korea Franchise Showcase 2027 in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

“One of the most important strategies for Disney’s global expansion is cross-border strategy, and Korea is one of the company’s most critical global markets because the country has built an optimal environment for cross-border businesses like K-pop, beauty, fashion and food,” Kim said.

“We will keep finding new local partners with a high potential for global markets to accelerate this new Disney universe imbued with Korean culture. We have newly launched the B2C Retail Division to directly communicate with the consumers, as we have so far mostly traded with companies. After ‘Toy Story 5’ opened in theaters here in June, we launched a large-scale pop-up campaign across seven Hyundai retailers nationwide, including department stores and outlets, and opening special spaces for children. It was a massive success and has become a marketing example for our global operation.”

Disney partners across 180 countries have jointly generated $64 billion in retail sales, according to Kim. The California-based company last year earned $6.58 billion at the global box office. The company will be releasing a new installment of the hit “Avengers” franchise, “Avengers: Doomsday,” in December, along with “Frozen 3” and “Star Wars: Starfighter” next year. In 2028, Mickey Mouse celebrates 100th birthday.

“Disney has two unique strengths: One is its storytelling, demonstrated over past 100 years. ... The other is its ‘360-degree ecosystem’ of IP-based consumer products, including music, games and experiences like Disney Cruise Line,” Kim said. “We created a character that became a cultural icon, with influence across generations and borders. That’s the Disney magic that began in 1923.”

华特迪士尼韩国公司周三在首尔发布了一项名为“ICONS UNLEASED：全球偶像成为新韩流中心”的全新营销活动，旨在将K-pop、韩国文化和韩国元素融入全新的消费者体验。该活动将与K-pop经纪公司、迪士尼IP以及全新的旅游和零售产品展开合作。迪士尼韩国公司还宣布将于下月举办迪士尼跑和漫威跑活动，届时Illit将带来精彩的特别表演。

迪士尼韩国表示，自 1992 年成立以来，已与首尔的 150 家合作伙伴公司开展合作。

金贤镇表示，迪士尼在180个国家的合作伙伴共同创造了640亿美元的零售额。

该公司表示，去年其全球票房收入为 65.8 亿美元。

迪士尼计划在12月上映《复仇者联盟：末日》，明年还将上映《冰雪奇缘3》和《星球大战：星际战斗机》。

米老鼠将于2028年庆祝他的100岁生日。

发布于2026年9月16日下午4:51（韩国标准时间）

韩国内容助力迪士尼IP全球化

华特迪士尼韩国公司消费品部负责人金贤镇（Kim Hyun-jin）周三在首尔举行的2027年迪士尼韩国特许经营展示会上发表讲话。图片由华特迪士尼韩国公司提供。

华特迪士尼公司在动画、娱乐和消费品领域拥有悠久的历史，如今在韩国开启了新的篇章。该公司将韩国的全球内容实力视为下一代消费体验的新灵感来源。

华特迪士尼韩国公司周三发布了全新宣传活动“ICONS UNLEASED：全球偶像成为新韩流中心”。该活动以韩流音乐、韩国文化和原创韩国内容为基础，计划从各个领域发展新的业务。

迪士尼韩国将与Kakao Entertainment、SM Entertainment、HYBE和Starship Entertainment等K-pop经纪公司合作，将旗下艺人的独特世界观与漫威故事相结合，打造全新的粉丝体验。该公司以G-Dragon的时尚品牌PEACEMINUSONE与迪士尼《玩具总动员》系列于7月成功合作推出的玩具、服装和周边产品为例，作为此次合作的先例。

将韩国文化遗产与迪士尼知识产权相结合，为到访韩国的全球游客推出新的区域性旅游产品。

举办与韩国新兴趋势相关的线下活动，例如马拉松、K-pop演唱会、快闪店和美食节，是该公司的另一项重要任务。下个月，该公司将举办迪士尼跑和漫威跑，届时韩国女子组合Illit将带来特别表演。此外，该公司还将把Disney+上的韩国内容，例如《再婚皇后》、《Teenieping》和《Kakao Friends》，开发成全新的消费者体验。

周三，在首尔举行的2027年迪士尼韩国特许经营展示会期间，展出了一系列以米老鼠为主题的玩具和绘画作品。图片由华特迪士尼韩国公司提供。

“你们以前见过这样的米老鼠吗？”迪士尼韩国消费品部负责人金贤镇（Kim Hyun-jin）周三在首尔举行的2027年迪士尼韩国特许经营展示会上问道。她站在一幅描绘米老鼠在传统韩国山水画中微笑的卡通形象前。“韩流以前所未有的方式重塑了这个迪士尼角色。这个韩国制造的全新米老鼠将再次走向世界，与全球消费者见面。”

金将公司的新活动定义为将韩国在音乐、内容、时尚和美容方面的创意中心与迪士尼超越国界的标志性知识产权和讲故事的专业知识联系起来。

金表示：“我们最大的使命是将韩国独有的特色与迪士尼独有的特色完美结合。例如，我们将与韩国目前风靡的跑步热潮合作，拓展我们旗下热门的IP和品牌。为什么？因为跑步如今代表着韩国年轻一代充满活力的生活方式。无论他们在哪里奔跑，迪士尼都会与他们同在。”

华特迪士尼韩国公司于1992年在首尔成立，目前已与150家合作伙伴在电影发行、流媒体服务、消费品、内容销售、游戏、出版和数字体验等领域开展合作。在新推出的“超级服务伙伴关系”计划下，公司将重组其生态系统，助力合作伙伴拓展全球市场，并从产品规划、市场营销、分销和市场扩张等各个环节提供支持。

周三，在首尔举行的2027年迪士尼韩国品牌展示会上，展出了来自华特迪士尼“星球大战”系列的沙兵模型，以及受该公司“复仇者联盟”系列启发而设计的时尚单品和人偶。图片由华特迪士尼韩国公司提供。

金表示：“迪士尼全球扩张最重要的战略之一是跨境战略，而韩国是该公司最重要的全球市场之一，因为韩国为K-pop、美容、时尚和食品等跨境业务打造了最佳环境。”

“我们将继续寻找具有全球市场潜力的本地合作伙伴，以加速打造融合韩国文化的全新迪士尼宇宙。我们新成立了B2C零售部门，旨在直接与消费者沟通，此前我们主要与企业进行交易。6月《玩具总动员5》在韩国上映后，我们在全国七家现代汽车零售商（包括百货商店和奥特莱斯）开展了大规模快闪店活动，并开设了儿童专属区域。此次活动取得了巨大成功，并成为我们全球运营的营销典范。”

据金透露，迪士尼在全球180个国家的合作伙伴已共同创造了640亿美元的零售额。这家总部位于加利福尼亚的公司去年在全球票房收入达65.8亿美元。该公司将于12月推出热门系列电影《复仇者联盟》的最新续集《复仇者联盟：末日》，并于明年推出《冰雪奇缘3》和《星球大战：星际战斗机》。2028年，米老鼠将迎来100岁生日。

“迪士尼拥有两大独特优势：一是其百年来经受住了时间考验的讲故事能力……二是其基于知识产权的消费产品‘360度生态系统’，涵盖音乐、游戏以及迪士尼邮轮等体验项目，”金说道。“我们创造了一个跨越世代和国界、影响深远的文化偶像。这就是始于1923年的迪士尼魔力。”