SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- Despite a trade surplus in the K-pop and other cultural content sectors, South Korea continued to suffer a deficit in cultural and knowledge services trade in the first half of 2026, central bank data showed Thursday.
The trade deficit in cultural, information and knowledge services reached $6.44 billion in the January-June period, widening from $5.44 billion in deficit in the second half of 2025, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The services here cover the four areas of intellectual property royalties; information and communication services; cultural and leisure services; and professional and business services.
Russian tourists pose for a photo on the steps of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, with a promotional display for a concert by K-pop group BTS in the background, on March 11, 2026. (Yonhap)
In detail, information and communication services reported a surplus of $2.42 billion during the first half, and cultural and leisure services, including K-pop, dramas and other content, recorded a surplus of $720 million.
But the country saw a deficit of $4.9 billion in intellectual property royalties and a $4.67 billion deficit in the professional and business services sector.
By region, South Korea logged a trade surplus of $2.62 billion in the Asian market, while it reported a $3.32 billion deficit in trade with North America and a $2.25 billion deficit in Europe, the latest findings showed.