Moonbug has hired Korean animation veteran YoungAh Park as its first-ever commercial director for the region. Park, who has led IP development and licensing teams at several Korean companies, is tasked with signing new linear/digital broadcast and distribution deals.

She joined in April and is based in Seoul, reporting to Nicolas Eglau, MD of EMEA. Moonbug brands including CoComelon and ARPO—which was originally produced as a series by South Korea’s Toonzip before the company acquired it in 2020—have generated large Korean audiences on YouTube, and Eglau says Moonbug is focused on growing in the region.

South Korea is a hot market at the moment, with around 7.5 million kids and a well-developed local industry that is both exporting and importing children’s content, says Kelly Cooke, Moonbug’s head of distribution and brand partnerships for APAC.

Hiring Park to oversee its expansion in the country is a natural next step for building viewership and deals, she adds. “With offices and an animation studio in the region, the appointment of YoungAh signals our commitment to growing our brand.”

Park previously served as head of IP strategy at Com2us Corp, a Seoul-based studio that develops games and webtoons and is best known for its Summoners War mobile games. Before that, she headed up the kids and animation team at producer/distributor KT Alpha, which produced preschool series Princess Pring.