The 12th Busan Contents Market (BCM) 2018 concluded on the 12th of this month at BEXCO in Busan, boasting the largest participation scale in its history.

This year's event saw participation from 1,099 companies from 48 countries, with a total of 3,043 buyers and sellers. Transactions amounted to a total of $116.72 million.

For the third consecutive year since the 10th event, BCM achieved over $100 million in transactions, enhancing its potential to grow into a global market.

Efforts to diversify and expand the market, including participation from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, India, and various European nations, resulted in BCM 2018 reaching its largest scale to date.

Despite the absence of major Chinese channel buyers due to THAAD-related issues, new distributors and producers filled the gap.

Notably, new opportunities were found in markets such as Spain, France, and Russia. New buyers included Spain's RTVE broadcaster, France's Canal+ paid cable channel, Bulgaria's public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television, Russia's CTC Media channel, and Poland's Sony Pictures channel, all of whom expressed interest in Korean content, including drama remakes and animation.

A noteworthy event was held to explore mutual cooperation and development strategies for the Korean-Chinese drama industry.

On the second day of the event, May 10, the Busan Contents Market Organizing Committee (Executive Chairman Goo Jong-sang), the Korea Drama Production Association (Chairman Park Chang-sik), the China Drama Production Association (Chairman Liu Xiaogang), and the China Drama International Trade Association (Representative He Jian) signed a mutual cooperation agreement (MOU).

Additionally, BCM 2018 Market+ showcased future-oriented convergence content encompassing trends and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Booths attracted many visitors by presenting interactive content such as a kiosk with nine multivision screens where participants could take photos, draw on them, and send them to an e-pic wall. Other booths featured a 3D studio for experiencing weathercaster and announcer jobs, and exhibits using EEG headsets to control objects.

When asked about the future for BCM, an official stated, "We will strive to enhance our role not only in selling Korean content to the global market but also in providing a platform for overseas sellers to sell their content to Korea and worldwide. We aim to solidify our position as the top market in Asia.