The Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival (SICAF) and Seoul Character & Licensing Fair have melded into one major event, now dubbed Seoul Promotion Plan and slated for July 22 to 24 at the COEX Conference Center. To kick things off, it’s launching Project Competition to entice pitches from around the globe.

The contest will single out projects with serious licensing potential. Last year, more than 83 series from 10 countries were submitted that were narrowed down to a shortlist of 20 from seven countries, including Barnacle Lou (Korea’s Olive Studio) and Silly Bitty Bunny (France’s Planet Nemo).

Execs from the broadcasting, investment and licensing worlds are invited to attend, and buyers already on-board include Cartoon Network (UK and Hong Kong), Nickelodeon (US), PBS Kids Sprout (US), Walt Disney International (Japan), Canal+ (France), YLE (Finland) and ABS-CBN (Philippines).

For more info, check out www.sppseoul.com.