[Important] Japan-Korea Entertainment Collaboration Officially Launched! Niigata's "SHOW! International Music & Dance & Entertainment College" and Korean Entertainment Company "SMiTH Inc." Sign Business Agreement!

NSG Group's Niigata-based entertainment education institution, SHOW! International Music & Dance & Entertainment College (Niigata City), and SMiTH Inc., an entertainment company based in South Korea with global operations, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on February 12, 2026, aiming for comprehensive collaboration in the cultural, artistic, and content industries.

SMiTH Inc. is a comprehensive South Korean entertainment company that operates in various fields, including managing K-POP artists and Korean YouTubers, and planning, operating, producing, and selling merchandise for Korean local governments and corporations.

SHOW! International Music & Dance & Entertainment College offers a "K-POP Entertainment Department" among its programs. To foster talent for the K-POP industry, the college has previously collaborated with SMiTH Inc. through events like "KPOP x SHOW!" co-hosted with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Niigata, inviting K-POP idol alumni artists as guests. During domestic training sessions, the college has also arranged company information sessions by the CEO of SMiTH Inc., allowing students to experience the current state of the K-POP industry firsthand.

Guest appearance by Korean K-POP idol alumni artists, mediated by SMiTH Inc., at the "KPOP x SHOW!" event co-hosted with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Niigata.

This agreement is positioned as an international collaboration between a Japanese vocational school and a Korean entertainment company, with expectations for the creation of new educational programs that fuse the strengths of both countries. Particularly, as the global influence of K-POP and Korean content continues to expand, direct collaboration with Korean companies holds significant meaning for Japan.

The agreement aims to leverage the expertise and networks of both parties to advance cooperation in diverse fields such as performances, education, events, and IP business, thereby expanding cultural exchange between Japan and South Korea and building a sustainable joint business model.

Specifically, the collaboration will focus on the joint planning and operation of performing arts and show content, as well as the development of performance education programs for children, youth, and young adults. Furthermore, practical international exchange opportunities will be created through the joint hosting of Japan-Korea cultural exchange events, festivals, showcases, and workshops.

Additionally, the parties will explore the joint utilization and commercialization of intellectual property (IP) such as characters, performance works, and educational content, and will also focus on the mutual exchange of personnel, including artists, instructors, and students. The goal is to build a cycle of human resource development and content creation where education and industry are integrated.

This initiative, centered on collaboration with SMiTH Inc., a Korean entertainment company, is drawing attention as a new model case for the further international expansion of Asian content and the development of next-generation artists and staff.

Through this MOU business agreement, SHOW! International Music & Dance & Entertainment College plans to work with SMiTH Inc., which is active in the K-POP scene, to provide more realistic K-POP education.

By collaborating with a company from the home of K-POP, the K-POP Entertainment Department will foster and produce talent capable of succeeding in the K-POP industry, from Japan to the world.

【SMiTH Inc. Korean Headquarters】

＜Official Website＞

https://www.smithcorp.co.kr/

【SHOW! International Music & Dance & Entertainment College】　　　https://show-net.jp/

A music vocational school located in Niigata, offering studies in singing, instruments, dance, K-POP, music business, sound and lighting, composition/arrangement, and recording. It is also the only school in Japan with a "K-POP Entertainment Department" where students from all over the country gather to study K-POP.

Departments

Music Artist Department / Dance Department / K-POP Entertainment Department / Music, Entertainment, Live Staff Department / Sound and Lighting Department / Sound Creator Department / Total Entertainment Department / Total Entertainment (Advanced) Department

＜About NSG Group＞

NSG Group is a corporate group composed of 101 organizations that, with education and medical/welfare/nursing care as its core, develops a wide range of businesses including health & sports, construction & real estate, food & agriculture, trading, advertising agencies, ICT, hotels, apparel, beauty, human resource services, and entertainment. Aiming to make each region the "richest and happiest town in the world," the group works from a private sector standpoint to create businesses that revitalize communities, using keywords such as "people," "security," "work," and "attractiveness.".

＜NSG Group Website＞https://www.nsg.gr.jp/