The pop-up store was strategically located along the main traffic flow on the 4th floor of Daimaru Umeda, a prime location with daily foot traffic exceeding 100,000 visitors. The event provided Japanese consumers with a direct opportunity to experience the competitiveness of Korean swimwear and resortwear brands. A total of 46 AGNEL swimwear styles were showcased and sold during the pop-up, drawing strong interest from local customers.

AGNEL is a Korean women’s swimwear brand known for combining delicate lingerie-inspired details with modern, European-style silhouettes. The brand has already demonstrated strong performance through online sales on GLOHILLS’ Japan-focused K-design fashion platform. In addition, AGNEL has gained brand recognition among Japanese female consumers through appearances in Netflix series and variety shows, as well as through endorsements by celebrities and influencers in Korea and abroad.

This pop-up store was part of GLOHILLS’ ongoing K-Design Fashion global business initiative and marked the company’s first offline department store pop-up in Japan, expanding beyond its existing online distribution model. The event was strategically planned in Osaka, taking into account the growing consumer and tourism demand in the region ahead of the 2025 Osaka Expo.

GLOHILLS operated the pop-up store in collaboration with its local Japanese partner, atSeoul, and enhanced both brand awareness and online traffic through influencer visits and on-site promotional activities. The initiative delivered not only short-term sales growth but also validated opportunities for permanent retail placements and further brand expansion within Japan.

A GLOHILLS representative stated, “This pop-up at Daimaru Umeda is a meaningful case demonstrating the competitiveness of K-design fashion brands within Japan’s premium offline retail channels,” adding, “We plan to expand our pop-up and distribution model to include a wider range of Korean fashion brands beyond swimwear.”

GLOHILLS will continue to actively promote the global expansion of Korean design brands by implementing integrated online-to-offline (O2O) K-fashion distribution strategies across Japan and other key international markets.

Under the agreement, GLOHILLS will provide its webtoon titles to ToonHub on a non-exclusive basis for a period of two and a half years from the service launch date, enabling stable overseas distribution and the accumulation of long-term market insights and audience data.

ToonHub is a webtoon platform that is expanding its services across Europe and global markets with Cyprus as its hub, operating a content distribution channel primarily targeting English-speaking readers. Through this partnership, GLOHILLS has secured a strategic testbed and gateway into the European market and plans to pursue a phased expansion of its content distribution across the region.

The supplied titles consist mainly of adult-oriented and story-driven webtoons, which will be made available following translation and localization processes tailored to global audiences. Translation and platform operations will be handled by a local distribution partner, while GLOHILLS will focus on the management of its core IP assets and the expansion of additional global business opportunities.

A GLOHILLS representative stated, “This distribution agreement with ToonHub represents a significant starting point in expanding our webtoon exports beyond Asia and into Europe,” adding, “Based on market response in Europe, we will actively consider further platform partnerships and the expansion of our IP-based businesses.”

GLOHILLS will continue to diversify its overseas distribution channels through strategic partnerships with global platforms, strengthening its position as a competitive IP company in the global content market, including Europe.

Jangsaeng is an epic narrative webtoon inspired by the extremely rare phenomenon known as “Jangsaeng” in the history of the game of Go (Baduk). Using Go as its central motif, the series depicts the turbulent modern and contemporary history of Korea, China, and Japan, exploring human belief, choice, and survival. By combining real historical figures and events with imaginative storytelling, the work is designed to engage even readers with no prior knowledge of Go.

The project is based on an original story and is overseen by Kim Se-young, one of Korea’s most renowned writers, known for numerous landmark works including Tazza, Mr. Q, and Oh! Han River. Kim Se-young has consistently portrayed characters who overcome despair to find their own paths in life, and in Jangsaeng, he aims to deliver a powerful message that transcends the Go board and speaks to both the spirit of the era and the human condition.

Currently, Jangsaeng is in active development under the leadership of Kim Se-young, with scenario development and webtoon adaptation underway. The production process is progressing in stages, including storyboards for the initial episodes and character development. The project is strategically planned as a high-value IP, beginning with webtoon serialization and with future expansion into secondary content such as films and television dramas (OSMU).

Jangsaeng reinterprets the distinctly Korean themes of Go and modern history into a narrative with strong global appeal. Following its selection for KOCCA’s Specialized Guarantee Support Program, the project is positioned to grow into a highly polished and competitive intellectual property in the global content market.

Under the partnership, a K-fashion online shopping platform (@seoul) is scheduled to launch in Japan in December 2023, followed by the opening of offline select shops in prime commercial districts of Tokyo, with plans to expand the business into a franchise model. Oberlous Japan has strengthened its fashion-focused workforce and carried out extensive local marketing initiatives in preparation for the launch.

GLOHILLS is responsible for product sourcing based on partnerships with 90 Korean design fashion brands, while also supporting stable supply through the establishment of a global logistics infrastructure. Industry observers view this collaboration as a representative omnichannel business model that will accelerate the entry and growth of K-fashion in the Japanese market.

DMM is one of Japan’s largest platform companies, operating across multiple business sectors including e-commerce, gaming, video, animation, and digital content. With a user base numbering in the tens of millions and strong distribution and marketing capabilities, DMM holds significant influence in Japan’s digital content market.

The core of this partnership lies in the combination of DMM’s platform competitiveness and high-quality content IP. Content providers benefit from rapid market entry and increased brand visibility through DMM’s extensive user reach, while DMM further enhances its platform competitiveness by strengthening its content lineup.

In addition, the two companies plan to explore further collaboration beyond the Japanese market, including global distribution, IP expansion, joint marketing initiatives, and localization strategies. Industry observers view this agreement as a strong example of strategic synergy between a platform company and a content provider within the Japanese content market.