[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] "Korea’s unique planning capabilities, fast-paced production, and high-quality content are resonating in overseas markets. We need to build a systematic animation ecosystem, just like Disney—with its 100-year history—and Japan, the ‘animation powerhouse.’”

The Korean animated series “Love Hachuping,” which has transcended its status as a “children’s favorite” to become a phenomenon across all generations, has returned with its first sequel in two years, “Love Hachuping: The Legend of the Whale Gem” (Hachuping 2). In a recent meeting with Edaily, Director Kim Soo-hoon, who also serves as CEO of SAMG Entertainment, identified “building a sustainable global ecosystem” as the ultimate direction for Korean animation. His ambition is not merely to produce one-off blockbusters, but to establish an in-house production and distribution system capable of competing on equal footing with major global studios.

SAMG Entertainment has expanded the reach of its character intellectual property (IP) by introducing Korean animation titles such as “Catch! Tinyping” and “Metal Cardbot” to international audiences. CEO Kim explained, “SAMG Entertainment’s character IPs, including ‘Tinyping,’ are expanding their fanbase globally,” adding, “Rather than limiting ourselves to simple children’s animation, our strategy of comprehensively designing content and merchandise tailored to the growth stages of our IP—including content targeting adults—and expanding our business into diverse fields is yielding meaningful results in overseas markets.”
The company has also diversified its business areas. In addition to collaborating with industries outside its core sector—such as sports and gaming—using its character IP, it has expanded into offline spaces like “Tinyping World.” CEO Kim emphasized, “Over the past 20 years, we have built a business structure that encompasses everything from production to distribution, licensing, and merchandise planning,” adding, “Our core competitive advantage lies in supplying high-quality content and products in a timely manner, based on the know-how we’ve accumulated over many years.”

This competitive edge is translating into box office success. While the first film drew 1.24 million viewers and ranked as the second-highest-grossing Korean animated film of all time, “Hatchuping 2” surpassed 470,000 cumulative viewers within just one week of its release, forming a top-three box office race alongside Hollywood films “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man 4.”
“Hatchuping 2,” which took approximately four years from planning to production, aims to expand its audience base with a broader universe, stunning visuals, and an original soundtrack featuring Korean singers. CEO Kim emphasized “Korean sensibilities” and “universal resonance.” Rather than directly adopting Disney-style direction, the film incorporates K-pop-style music and captures the universal theme of family love centered on the relationship between a mother and daughter. He stated, “Above all, I wanted to break the stereotype that this is just a ‘children’s movie’ and present a family film that anyone—regardless of age or gender—can immerse themselves in and enjoy.”
CEO Kim stated, “The most important task is to establish a distribution network and system capable of competing on equal footing in the global market,” adding, “Using the ‘Hatchuping’ IP as a springboard, we will continue our efforts to ensure that K-animation establishes itself as a global standard on the world stage.”