On November 5, 2026, VANK announced that it would produce and distribute digital content targeting Japan’s Millennials and Generation Z, highlighting common challenges and examples of cooperation between Korea and Japan.
This initiative is part of a two-way public diplomacy effort aimed at expanding interest in the Korean Wave into a broader understanding of Korean society and fostering exchanges with neighbors around the globe.
This project will be released sequentially via its official Instagram account (@weare_globalfriends) in the form of two Instagram comics and two Instagram Reels.
The Instagram comic series “An Era of Longer Lives: Building a Better Future for Care Together” begins with the daily lives of young people in Korea and Japan living in a super-aged society and introduces Korea’s cutting-edge digital care technologies and Japan’s hands-on care expertise.
Another Instagram comic series, “The AI Era: Korea and Japan Building Together,” highlights technological cooperation between the two countries through the AI and semiconductor industries, as well as the new opportunities that will be available to the next generation of leaders.
The Reels video “125 Replies That Flew from Japan to Korea” looks back on the experience of cross-border solidarity during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, while “From Liking Each Other to Creating Together” traces the journey of cultural content production undertaken jointly by the two countries.
VANK plans to start with Japan and continue to forge connections with over 200 countries worldwide—including ASEAN, Latin America, and Africa—to develop a new model of public diplomacy.
Director Park Gi-tae stated, “We aim to view each country not merely as a target for promoting Korea, but as a partner with whom we can deliberate and find solutions together,” adding, “We will broaden the scope of communication so that young Koreans can grow into global citizens who recognize global issues as their own responsibility and contribute to the international community.”