“We want to be able to find the right shows so that the audiences who have never watched Asian or Korean content before open up to experiencing and watching more Korean content,” Kim said. The global COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people around world indoors, giving Netflix a prime opportunity to expose more audiences to Korean culture. Investing more heavily in global content couldn’t come at a more important time.
“That means, what are the shows audiences want to watch, but can’t be made in the traditional system?” “We want to figure out the whitespace,” Kim said. Netflix is focusing its efforts in originals on productions that wouldn’t have been made in the existing media ecosystem. On original content however, Netflix has a different strategy. “These are the shows like Crash Landing on You or Itaewon Class.” “We partner really closely with local entertainment companies, and make sure we pick and deliver the best shows, and bring it to our audiences outside of Korea,” Netflix’s Vice President of Korean Content, Kim Minyoung, said. Netflix is slated to introduce more Korean dramas and movies to the world in 2020. In searching for Korean content, Netflix has a two pronged approach that includes both acquiring successful Korean titles, as well as creating original content.
The rise of digital streaming services like Netflix is giving Korean culture a second wave, by enabling Korean-loving audiences around the world to more easily access Korean movies and dramas. South Korean dramas and movies first hit the world stage in the early late 1990’s and early 2000’s with the “Korean wave” or “hallyu”, putting South Korean culture on the world stage and turning the country into a global cultural influencer. Kim Minyoung, Vice President of Korean Content (Courtesy of Netflix)