The UAE is getting its very own slice of Seoul.  The country has announced plans to create a brand-new K-City, a cultural destination dedicated entirely to Korean pop culture, food, beauty, music and more.

The project, developed in collaboration with the Korean government, will bring together everything from K-Culture and K-Food to business and entertainment, giving fans across the UAE a year-round taste of the Korean Wave,  or Hallyu, that has taken the world by storm.

The UAE’s love affair with Korean culture is no secret. This year alone, Dubai has welcomed major K-pop stars, hosted a packed K-festival at Global Village, and seen K-beauty products dominate store shelves. Korean shows, movies, and music continue to explode in popularity.

Abu Dhabi has also joined the excitement, with the city set to host the iconic DREAM Concert, one of the biggest K-pop festivals in the world, later this month.

A recent K-culture event in Abu Dhabi gave a glimpse of what the upcoming UAE K-City might look like, complete with K-food stalls, beauty booths, live performances, and even a sing-along to a massively popular Korean movie soundtrack.

While full details of K-City are still under wraps,  the governments of the UAE and the Republic of Korea are currently exploring ways to combine their strengths and develop the project. The announcement followed an official visit by South Korea’s newly elected President, Lee Jae Myung.

Both nations emphasised a shared vision of strengthening people-to-people connections and positioning the UAE as a cultural exchange hub between the Middle East and Korea. The collaboration also extends to areas such as AI, energy, defence, public health, and education.

One thing is clear: the UAE’s K-culture obsession isn’t slowing down, and K-City might become the region’s biggest celebration of Korean culture yet.