'Baby Shark' creator eyes Japan as next stage of global success

South Korea's Pinkfong to expand IP, event businesses in new market

20250131 Pinkfong Japan CEO

Pinkfong Japan CEO Joo Hyemin poses with the company's star characters. (Photo by Mariko Hirano) 

MARIKO HIRANO and HATSUKI SATO

TOKYO -- "Baby Shark Dance," an English-language children's music video released in 2016 by Korean entertainment company Pinkfong, has been viewed over 15 billion times, making it the most viewed YouTube video in the world. Although Pinkfong's focus up to now has been on Southeast Asian and Western markets, it sees growing opportunities in Japan.

In an interview with Nikkei, Pinkfong Japan CEO Joo Hyemin talks about what is behind the company's success and its plans to expand its intellectual property and offline event businesses in Japan.

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