Game Exports Outpace K-Pop

Exports of computer and mobile games generated more than 10 times the revenues of K-pop overseas.

The Korea Finance Corporation and Korea Creative Content Agency analyzed contents exports and said Monday that game shipments in 2012 amounted to US$2.64 billion, 11 times the amount of money made by exporting music, which totaled $235.1 million that year.

Games accounted for around 60 percent of Korea's overall contents exports of $4.61 billion. Coming next were exports of knowledge and information, animated characters, published materials, music, TV programs, contents solutions, animated features, commercials, movies and cartoons.

Game exports rose steadily around 28.2 percent a year from $1.66 billion in 2010 to $2.64 billion in 2012.

China was the top market with 38.5 percent of online gamers playing Korean-made games, followed by Japan (27 percent) and Southeast Asia (19 percent). The proportion in North America was six to seven percent.

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