AREAL APPOINTS KOIL AS SOUTH KOREA DISTRIBUTOR

The appointment marks Areal’s first distribution partnership outside Europe and represents the next step in the company’s international expansion. The partnership gives customers in South Korea access to local sales, product demonstrations and technical support as Areal continues to build its global distribution network.

Developed at Areal’s headquarters in Belgium, SR1 is a portable spatial reference system designed for professional immersive monitoring on headphones, supporting multichannel sessions up to 7.1.4. The Upmix Engine is a real-time hardware processor for live sound that expands stereo sources across multi-speaker systems while allowing artists and engineers to retain their existing stereo workflow.

Based in Seoul and established in 1984, KOIL has more than four decades of experience across professional audio, broadcast, cinema production and digital cinema. The company combines distribution with technical application support, system design, installation and customer service across broadcast, live performance, film production and cinema applications.

KOIL has already begun putting the partnership into practice, recently supporting an Upmix Engine deployment for HYPNOSIS THERAPY on Sync Next 26 at renowned Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, working alongside Sejong’s audio team and production partners. The project has since provided a platform for customer demonstrations, product presentations and technical engagement with local industry contacts.

Areal Commercial Director Kristof Jeuris commented:

“South Korea is an important market for us, with a strong culture of technical excellence and innovation and growing interest in spatial audio technologies. From the very beginning, KOIL has been exactly the kind of partner we were looking for: technically capable, proactive and close to the market. They’ve already taken the technology into real projects, brought customers in for demonstrations and started building some great local references. We’re very pleased to have KOIL representing Areal in South Korea and look forward to developing the market together.”

Lian Choi, Manager and System Designer at KOIL Corporation, added:

“We see strong potential for Areal’s technology in the Korean market. The Upmix Engine gives live productions a practical way to get more from multi-speaker systems while retaining familiar stereo workflows while retaining familiar stereo workflows, while SR1 offers a new approach to professional spatial monitoring. Our work at Sejong has already given us valuable hands-on experience with the technology, and we look forward to introducing both products to more customers and developing further projects together.”

KOIL will support sales, demonstrations and applications for both SR1 and the Upmix Engine across South Korea. Further local activity is already planned, including new live projects, trade media coverage and a range of other market-development activities.

The appointment extends Areal’s distribution network into South Korea as the company continues to build a selective international partner network focused on technical expertise, local customer support and long-term market development.