It seems SK has been in this game for a long time:

>In 1997-1998, South Korea was in the midst of a financial crisis. It required a substantial loan from the International Monetary Fund to restructure its debt and it left South Korea, at the time, with a tarnished national brand. Fearing a brain drain and an inability to attract top talent, a Ministry of Culture (alongside tourism and sport) was created, with a specific department responsible for developing locally made and owned pop music, along with film, fashion, dance and art. This coincided with the end of state censorship (in 1996) and the removal of a cultural embargo with Japan in 2000, which led to an upsurge in Japanese consumption of Korean culture, prompting a need to meet the demand of the new audience. Music, along with other forms of culture, was seen as a way to accelerate economic recovery, so policies to support cultural development and investment to support the making and marketing of music were made. This was not funding. This was an investment. By 2011, K-Pop was finding new audiences around the world, including a sell out showcase at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.[0]

From wikipedia:

>President Kim Dae Jung put forth industrial policies supporting entertainment with the same regard as traditional industrial sectors such as manufacturing. Investments were made in both infrastructure and technology to support K-Pop, including concert halls and visual effects technology. In addition, government regulation of karaoke bars favored K-Pop.[6]

>Since then, there has been a focus on developing soft power; the Ministry believes that by promoting Korean culture abroad, exports of other goods and services will also increase. As part of those efforts to move beyond developing a domestic industry and toward international success, the Ministry established an advisory committee and announced an international training school. Direct financial support of artists increased. In 2013, the Ministry allocated 319 billion won (US$280 million) for direct support of Hallyu (Korean Wave). Cultural exports increased at an annual rate of 10 percent as a result of these efforts.[7]

If this aspect is overstated, at the very least the SK industry itself has focused on foreign markets:

>During the late 90s, talent agencies began to market K-pop stars by implementing an idol business model used in J-pop,[91] where talents are selected and trained to appeal to a global audience through formal lessons or through residency programs.[2]

While K-pop is compared to J-pop here, note that the comparison is the idol system, not the foreign marketing, which did not happen in Japan to my knowledge.

Edit: perhaps I'm wrong, from my own link:

>Despite popular internet speculation on the Korean government's financial support for the promotion of K-Pop, there are no figures to substantiate the speculation. In 2013, of the $230 million allocated for Hallyu, there are itemized contributions to the promotion of the Korean language, culture and food but no known figures for allocations directly to K-Pop.

[0] https://www.forbes.com/sites/shainshapiro/2021/07/06/want-pr...

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Culture,_Sports_an...

[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop