First Country of Honor program pairs a 20-company delegation with sales and co-production outreach

Thailand is using Busan’s content market to advance an export agenda that combines sales, licensing and production partnerships. As the first Country of Honor at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) 2026, the country plans to put its film and content businesses in front of international buyers while using a national networking event to build relationships beyond individual titles.

The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), under Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, announced on October 7 that it would support Thai companies at ACFM, which runs in Busan from October 10 to 13. DITP and Thailand’s Department of Cultural Promotion will jointly operate the Thai pavilion and support business matching for 20 Thai companies across film, television, series, animation and related services.

The commercial priorities are content sales and licensing, co-production discussions and broader access to overseas markets. The planned outreach includes buyers, investors, creators, directors and media representatives, bringing finished-content transactions and potential production partnerships into the same program.

Thai Night Busan 2026 will provide the networking centerpiece on October 11 at Park Hyatt Busan. Held under the theme Reimagining Thailand, the event is scheduled to have its opening presided over by Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi. DITP intends to use the occasion to present Thailand’s creative capabilities and content production expertise to international industry participants.

The event also restores a networking platform interrupted by the pandemic. DITP supported Thai film and entertainment businesses at the Busan market from 2012 through 2019, but suspended Thai Night from 2020. The agency frames its return against growing overseas interest in Thai films, series, animation and digital content.

Thailand’s approach extends the export pitch beyond screen content. DITP plans to connect business opportunities with Thai food, culture, lifestyle and tourism destinations, using content as an entry point to a broader national brand. The stated aim is to support content exports, strengthen Thailand’s international brand and contribute to its creative economy.

For Korean content businesses, the pavilion and Thai Night offer a venue to identify potential production and distribution partners. Participation support for 20 companies is a planned activity, however, rather than evidence of completed sales or co-production agreements. The commercial test will be whether Thailand can turn the visibility of its Country of Honor designation into transactions and lasting production relationships.