PARIS & LILLE, FRANCE: Series Mania Forum has named the Republic of Korea as its first-ever Country of Honour, marking a major milestone for the European television industry gathering set to run alongside the Series Mania Festival in Lille in March 2026.
The announcement was made by Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania, underscoring Korea’s rising influence in global content creation and distribution.
As part of the initiative, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) will bring a delegation of eight leading companies to the forum, including Channel A Corporation, CJ ENM, EO Content Group, KBS Media, MBC, SLL Joongang, Studio S and Whynot Media. The programme will feature dedicated sessions spotlighting upcoming Korean projects, high-level conference panels, networking events and industry showcases.
The move is backed by France’s CNC following a memorandum of understanding signed with Kocca at Series Mania 2024, aimed at strengthening co-production, investment and cultural exchange between the two countries.
The honour coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea and follows last year’s Broadcast Worldwide event in Seoul, which highlighted France as its guest country.
Korea’s content market was valued at $43.169 billion in 2024, up 5.7 per cent from the previous year, ranking eighth globally. Demand for Korean series in France has surged, with Netflix reporting viewing time up more than 200 per cent year on year.
Herszberg said the initiative reflects Korea’s recognised excellence in film and television, while Kocca France general director Moonju Kim, said the partnership would deepen cooperation across production and investment.
