Son Hyon-ho, general manager of TikTok Korea's global business solutions, speaks during a press conference at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

Korean related content in dramas, beauty and foods has become increasingly popular around the globe on TikTok, a short-form video platform, the Korean unit of the company said, Thursday.

TikTok also predicted that brands, creators and artists will continue to accelerate their global expansion based on Korean content according to analysis of the data.

During the press conference, TikTok announced three major trends of its platform this year: the expansion of various user groups; an increase in self-development and travel content due to the end of the pandemic and Korean content still exerting a strong influence globally.

"As the trend of the global spread of K-content through TikTok is clearly increasing, we expect various brands, led by the beauty, food and beverage industries, to actively use TikTok as a platform for overseas expansion such as the U.S. and Southeast Asia in 2024," Son Hyon-ho, general manager of TikTok Korea's global business solutions, said during a press conference in Seoul.

"Korean creators who produce global leading trends will grow more and consequently the creator economy will also be more activated through the monetization model," he added.

Speaking of the platform's audience expansion, TikTok said it has become popular not just with those in their teens and 20s, but also with those in their 30s and 40s.

"According to a report by market research firm OpenSurvey, the experience of encountering short-forms exceeds half for those in their 30s with 73.9 percent and those in 40s with 65.8 percent and the trend of feeling short-forms intimately in various age groups is strengthening," the company said.

TikTok also emphasized the role of the Southeast Asian market in the global spread of Korean content in 2024. Southeast Asia is a large market for K-content and owns a robust community, making it particularly important in terms of content production.

K-content is reproduced in various ways, including previews and review videos, sharing information about actors or roles, and its influence on production and consumption of content in all aspects of lifestyle, including music, food and fashion, is increasing, the company said.