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The country’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency announced Tuesday that ten groups had been chosen for the Global Leap Forward Support project, Korea Times reported.

Under the program, each agency can receive up to 300 million won (US$218,000) a year for up to three years to fund international marketing, music video production and international tours.

The move comes as concerns grow over the widening gap between major entertainment companies and smaller labels.

K-pop exports rose 32.4% year-on-year in 2025 but the market is dominated by the industry’s “Big Four” entertainment companies. Government data showed major agencies spent an average of 43.1 billion won on music production in 2023, compared with 1.49 billion won for smaller companies. Artists from major labels also performed overseas about 20 times more often than those from independent agencies.

The first group of beneficiaries includes five-member girl group Rescene, which plans to use appearances at the KCON LA festival to reach audiences in Japan and the U.S., and 10-member boy band Xikers, which is preparing a push into the Japanese market.

Other recipients include rookie group TUNEXX, which plans to film a music video and hold showcases in Mumbai, India, and indie band can’t be blue, which is seeking to expand its international audience through Spotify’s Radar program.

“For K-pop to achieve sustainable growth, the smaller agencies that form the backbone of our industry must be able to thrive,” said Choi Sung-hee, director general of the ministry’s Content Media Industry Bureau. “We hope this initiative sparks another ‘small-agency miracle’ to lead K-pop’s future.”