- “Bong bong guardian,”a creative animated film based on the Jeju Island will be aired in the middle of next year on TV and through OTT services

- It is also pushing ahead with Jeju Island-themed metaverse tourism services using animated film IP

Last month, an animated film production company You Need Character Co., Ltd.(CEO Minsu Song) drew attention as it attracted series A investments worth 2.7 billion won, a rarity in the animated film industry. CEO of You Need Character said that the company is making “Bong bong guardian,”a Jeju Island-themed creative animated film which is a follow-up of its first animated film “Cricket pang”and it will start airing it on TV and through OTT channels at home and aborad in the middle of next year.

You Need Character Co. is a character and animated film production company which was founded in 2017 by CEO Minsu Song who gained business know-how in the fields of characters and theme parks while working in Iconix which is knows for its character “Pororo” and Samsung Everland. Its first animated film “Cricket Pang” is being aired on TV and through OTT channels at home and abroad starting from India with its major target of 1.4 billion Indians. You Need Character is carrying out various additional projects such as Cricket Pang storybooks which will be published in India through HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world's largest publishing companies at the end of this month, implementing strategies to create character brands in the global market.

You need character developed characters of “Bong bong guardian,” its second animated film for TV using various subjects on Jeju Island. It is a comics animated film which consists of interesting episodes with hero characters with unique abilities that would help children find it fun.

In particular, for the first time in the industry, it is using “Bong bong guardian”animated film content to develop “Jeju-themed metaverse tourism services” and it is making efforts to launch the service when the animated film begins to broadcast.

CEO Minsu Song of You Need Character Co. said, “ Jeju Island is a landmark of South Korea with various interesting subjects and wonderful scenic views. We are tapping into know-how and resources for making ”Bong bong guardian“ that our team has gained so far to make an animated film that represents Jeju.

Also, he said, “we are developing Jeju-themed metaverse tourism services using characters of Bong bong guardian and securing R&D workers and we are planning to carry out a unique project combining with character IP after the launch.”

You Need Character Co. is headquartered in Metaverse Hub (located in Pangyo Gyeonggi-do) run by National IT Industry Promotion Agency. Early this year, it was selected as part of Route330 ICT Accelerating program, the biggest start-up support program up against tough competition so You need Character which has a Jeju office now carries out the “Bong bong guardian”project receiving support from each center and using content production infrastructure. It said it will expand its scope of business through making new attempts combining animated film content with metaverse services and implement global services using its global network and know-how in the content sector it gained while carrying out the “Cricket Pang”project.

Meanwhile, a business discussion with relevant organizations and affiliate companies on Jeju Island is underway in order to start one source multi-use projects in earnest such as brand products, F&B business and indoor theme parks using “Bong bong guardian” IP. You Need Character Co. is planning to carry out various additional projects at the same time along with broadcasting of animated films and metaverse tourism services next year.

Jeju Island, one of the most popular tourist attractions as well as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, inspired “Bong bong guardian,” a comics hero animated film. I look forward to how “Jeju-themed metaverse tourism service” will pan out by You need character which is stepping up as a global convergence content production company.

Pangyo Technovalley is an innovation hub for global companies comparable to the Silicon Valley in the US, Zhongguancun in China, and STATION F in France. It is an Asia tech hub with 1,259 IT, BT, CT, and NT companies that possess innovative products and technologies. Located just south of the metropolitan area, it provides the best environment for Korean companies to do business with great transportation access and infrastructure.

Various high-tech companies are located in Pangyo Technovalley, and it is occupied by 64,000 full-time employees, many in their 20-30s. In terms of industry, the companies are engaged in information technology, contents technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

With the support of innovative companies with global capabilities such as Kakao, Naver, AhnLab, Krafton, NCSoft, Nexon, and Hancom, companies in Pangyo Technovalley recorded 107 trillion won in sales last year. Investment and infrastructure growth in Pangyo is expected to continue, with the Metaverse hub entering Pangyo this year.

Source: Pangyo Techno Valley Official Newsroom 

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