Beloved characters that have become fixtures in toys, games, banking and social media will take center stage next week as Korea's largest character licensing event returns to Seoul, bringing together creators, brands and global buyers under one roof. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday that Character Licensing Fair 2026 will be held from Wednesday through Saturday at Coex Hall A and Hall B1 in Seoul. Hosted by the ministry and jointly organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency and Coex, the annual event marks its 25th edition under the theme "Expand: Content IP." The fair will feature 186 companies operating 443 exhibition booths, showcasing popular Korean characters and intellectual property (IP) spanning entertainment, finance and gaming. Featured properties include KB Vision's Esther Bunny, HNF's Ganadi, Iconix's Zanmang Loopy, Shinhan Bank's Shinhan Friends, Neowiz's mobile game Cats & Soup and Olabox's Remini, based on the girl group RESCENE. The exhibition will also include themed showcases highlighting collaborations between content creators and other indust